


The innocent witch

by hurricane_witch



Category: Flolix, Florence and the Machine
Genre: Inspired by Florence + the Machine
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-18
Updated: 2016-10-30
Packaged: 2018-08-09 14:47:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7806067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hurricane_witch/pseuds/hurricane_witch





	1. Prologue

Prologue 

"But mum! I don't want this!" the little girl begged.  
She was about five years old.  
"FLORENCE LEONTINE MARY WELCH! Come here! Now!" Evelyn yelled.  
"But what wrong with my hair?" she looked at her mother, sulking.  
Evelyn didn't say anything and just grabbed a shawl and covered Florence's hair with it but little Flo pulled the silk off immediately.  
"Mum you promised you will braid my hair!"  
"No! Now is not the right time! The witch hunters are here Flo!" tears started to fill Evelyn's eyes.  
"Sybille Russel Welch! Why did you choose my daughter?!" Evelyn yelled.  
"Cover your hair!"  
Nick looked up from his book.  
"You better do what your mother says." Nick's voice was cool.  
Little two year old Gracie crawled towards Florence and looked at her inquisitively.  
"Flossie a witch?" Gracie asked with her sweet baby voice.  
"I'm a witch?" Florence's green eyes widened.  
"No my darling, you're not..." Evelyn hesitated, she hated lying to her children and another child was soon to arrive.  
"But your great grandmother was." she sighed.  
It was true, Sybille had been a witch but no one knew if Florence was one too.  
Her hair had the colour of shiny copper and her eyes were green like Sybille's.  
Maybe if Florence didn't believe that she probably was a witch, she'd never become one.  
So Evelyn covered Flo's hair and held her tight as the witch hunters galloped past the small house in Bury St. Edmunds on their friesian horses.  
If it would ever happen, Florence would have to make a decision.  
Escape as a sorceress or die innocent, guess what Sybille chose.  
At least Florence was safe, for now.


	2. Kiss of a witch

"Flossie? Flossie?! Flossie! Florence come down!"  
Florence groaned, opened her eyes and looked straight into her sister's face.  
"Gracie!" she pulled the duvet up to her chin.  
"Don't waste your life in the bed and get up! Isa is there."  
"Why didn't you just tell me? Oh Gracie. Thank you anyway."  
Florence got up, washed her face and put on THE dress.  
It was a gift from Felix, her best friend, she knew him since she was two years old.  
The dress was deep red and soft, flowing down like water, deep red water.  
"ISAAAA!" Florence rushed over to the small blonde pixie-like woman.  
"Come on, let's go outside." Isa grabbed her hand and led her outside.  
"Wait a minute." Isa looked at the dress.  
"Velvet?"  
"Yeah, why?"  
"How did you get so much money? Or is there a suitor?" Isa teased chuckling.  
Florence didn't answer but pointed at the forest.  
Isa repeated her question over and over but Florence just cut her off and asked her questions until she had forgotten about it.  
Then Florence stopped, not a single move.  
"Florence why...? Oh, the willow tree, come with me, I will show you something." and before Florence could say a word or refuse, Isa pulled the tall redhead inside the willow tree sphere.  
"See? It didn't poke your eyes out. Look at this! I know you're scared of willow trees but I love them as you can see, they're completely calm." Isa soothed, she could see it in Florence's green eyes.  
She was mainly surprised, but also scared and still enchanted, she never thought that a willow tree could be protective.  
When she was little, seven years old, she was afraid of willow trees because she strongly believed that they would poke her eyes out if she gets too close, but now aged 26, she doesn't have to be afraid anymore, there was no reason.  
Also Isa was lost in daydreams but found a path that led had back to the question she wanted to ask, and hopefully Florence wouldn't cut her off again.  
"You still didn't answer my question, where did you get this dress?"  
Florence felt the heat of her tears rise but she tried to be brave.  
"D'you remember the ball here two years ago?" Florence whispered.  
Just the memory of what happened caused a painful fiery feeling in her chest.  
"Fuck yeah I do! I know this velvet dress! Oh my god! Flossie!" Isa's eyes widened.  
"James was a bit angry because Felix asked me to go to the ball with him and I agreed. This dress was a gift from Felix and then..." a tear rolled down her cheek. "He proposed to me but I had to say no, you know... James." Florence started to cry.  
Florence hated herself for that.  
Isa read her face and took her hand to calm her down.  
Memories came back, they were friends from the beginning.  
She was on the beach with her family and the Whites, she'd built a sandcastle for little five year old Gracie but another boy stepped on it and the sandcastle was completely destroyed.  
She began to cry, all the effort!  
She was angry but mainly she felt so sorry for something she didn't even do. Gracie sat there, not realising what had happened but she looked down saddened, she was so excited and now she's never see the sandcastle her sister wanted to make for her.  
Poor Flossie, poor Gracie.  
Then Felix came to hug Florence and then he kissed her on her cheek to calm her down, and it worked.  
And at her prom, they danced and he kissed her, on the lips.  
She could never forget that kiss, never, it was like he'd sent her to heaven just by kissing her.  
Isa hugged her best friend to calm her down but the crying carried on for hours, it felt like eternity.  
"Come on, we go to the market, you will feel better soon Flossie."

Florence's POV.

And again, she grabbed my hand and gave me no time to refuse or say something.  
The feeling two years ago was horrible, he proposed to me, he loved me and I loved him too but that time I was already the fiancée of someone different, the fiancée of someone I never loved truly which I found out later, James' fiancée.  
Yes, James Nesbitt.  
I had to say no, I tried to do it as politely as possible but then I cried, in my red velvet dress, in Felix's arms.  
I didn't want to break his heart but I obviously did, which broke my heart too.  
Recently I broke up with James, it just didn't work, I didn't want to give him children, not yet, I wasn't ready, but that was what he wanted to do, he wanted me to go through this.  
Through the pregnancy, to carry a child inside of me for nine months and then the final torture, childbirth.  
I refused.  
Twenty-six but still too young for it, I still don't have the emotional stability to have a baby.  
Now he's absolutely hates me for not becoming his wife and the mother of the children he wanted to create.  
Not with me!  
So we went back to the village, Isa knew exactly how to cheer me up again.  
After about ten minutes we could see the big tower again, the prison of Bury St. Edmunds.  
It made me shiver, cold dark bricks, in the moonlight they had a silver-blue glow which made the whole tower even more scary than it already was.  
I was in this tower once, with Stevie.  
Her sister was arrested for committing sorcery, which she didn't but the religious people are really prone to panic when it comes to that.  
They kept their eyes on Stevie and tried to imprison her too, but Stevie wasn't a sorceress, just like her sister.  
She may look like a witch, but she isn't.  
I realised that I was staring at the tower, not moving.  
Isa pulled my sleeve.  
"What is wrong with you today? Come on, we will surprise Stevie. That's what you need right now."  
Isa was right, she always was.  
We walked past the tower, shivering.  
There were arms reaching out for us, people screaming for help but there is nothing we could do, we can't help them.

 

Back in Bury St. Edmunds everything seemed brighter and welcoming.  
Suddenly it got dark, I couldn't see anything.  
Isa laughed, she knew who was surprising me.  
I had no idea who it was, but the smell was familiar.  
"Bobby! Robert Ackroyd! I know you're there!" I shrieked.  
"No I'm not!" he laughed, so he was standing in front of me.  
Who is it?  
"It's not Chris... Tom...? No! No way! You're back!" the last sentence was swallowed by his sleeves and my hair.  
"Yes, I'm back Flo." I felt his lips brushing against my hair.  
I looked up to him and a part of me broke.  
Why have I done this?!  
I should have agreed two years ago!  
"You look... different... in a good way!" I couldn't resist his bright blue eyes.  
And he looked into mine, his eyes mirrored my own emerald ones.  
"Did you look into a mirror?"  
"Am I this thin?" Yes, I was really slim.  
"You look gorgeous. Graceful like a swan with emerald eyes."  
"Long time no see, we both changed." my voice cracked.  
"What is wrong Flor?"  
"I'm so sorry! I don't think I can love anyone right now."  
I turned away from him, I did it again.  
I broke his heart again, but getting engaged now that I was still heartbroken and unable to truly love someone would make things worse.  
Isa told him exactly what I thought.  
"She's heartbroken, give her some space... Bye Felix."  
I started to run, heading towards the little booth I knew so well.  
"Stevie! Stevie!!!" I broke down just before her feet.  
She knelt down beside me, held me tight and I buried my face in her chest, letting all the emotions flow out.  
"Florence what is wrong? Stop crying in public, people start staring."  
On our way to Stevie's house I told her everything that happened, Isa's arm around me.  
"I think all you can do is wait. Time is a great healer."  
Stevie massaged the back of my hand.  
I loved her house, it was such a magical place, it seemed even more magical when Stevie was there.  
I started to feel drowsy, not that surprising, I didn't have breakfast this morning.  
As if she knew, Stevie offered us soup, warm and strengthening.  
Athene, one of her cats, curled up on my lap and I let my fingers caress the black fur.  
If someone would see us like this, they'd arrest us, we all looked like witches right now.  
Stevie was known as the witch of Bury St. Edmunds but the witch hunters weren't allowed to arrest her as long as no one saw her committing heresy.  
When it comes to me, my hair was almost ruby red and my eyes were emerald green... that would be enough, they'd be able to imprison me without any reasons.  
Suddenly we heard a tune and it made me shiver.  
A witch was caught and I was pretty sure who it was so I started to run.  
This wasn't true! It couldn't! Please not Holly!  
I ran towards the black carriage to find Holly standing in front of it, crying.  
It wasn't Holly who was caught, it was her mother.  
"This is my mother! She is innocent! She did nothing wrong! Let her go!" Holly begged.  
"Is she confirmed?" the guard grunted.  
"Um... No..." Holly cried.  
"Then she will have to stay and you have to get out the way!" he spat.  
"What will you do to her? She is innocent!"  
"After the trial she will, hopefully, be burned at the stake. Now go back to your riffraff friends and mind your own business." he pushed her and Holly stumbled backwards.  
Then another man read the scroll.  
"People of Bury St. Edmunds, I am Matthew Hopkins. I'm here to track the dark souls of this village. You will get rid of every witch that lives here and you can sleep calmly again." then he looked at me.  
"Trust me, if you tell the truth, it won't hurt. If you don't... the stake is waiting for you."  
It felt like he was stabbing me with his glance, then he turned around.  
"Flo, hide." Isa whispered in my ear.  
"I'm not a witch, why should I hide? I've done nothing wrong."  
But I followed her.  
Rob, Mark, Chris and Tom joined us and we all went back to the willow tree and I climbed it.  
Isa became really quiet.  
I started to worry about my little pocket rocket.  
"Isa?"  
"Hm?"  
"You know you can talk to us. What is wrong?"  
She was silent for quite a long time, probably thinking about something.  
"Isa?"  
"Florence you have to hide."  
"Oh Isa. Don't worry about me. They will probably just look for old women." I muttered.  
"Isa is right Flo." Rob looked up to the branch I sat on.  
"They are searching for strange looking people..."  
"Yeah thanks. So nice of you Rob." I giggled.  
"Florence this is serious. You're in great danger." Chris participated in our, sort of, argument.  
"I'm not confirmed but that doesn't make me a witch." I felt slightly angry.  
"Your singing voice will put a choir of angels out of work." Isa nearly shouted.  
"No one can put the heavenly voices out of work. Right Florence, isn't it?" his voice was pure poison.  
"What do you want James?!" Rob snorted.  
"Her voice is heavenly!" Isa screamed.  
"Sh!"  
"Oh stop. Seems like you all want to get imprisoned." he paused and looked at me.  
"Heretic child!" he spat.  
"How can we get him to just go away?" Mark sighed.  
"Maybe the kiss of a witch will do its work." I giggled.  
Isa shrieked.  
"Heretic!" James shouted.  
"Hey shut up! I was just joking! Wow." I laughed.  
"Florence what have you done?!" Isa shrieked.  
"Nothing. It was just a joke."  
"A really bad joke. You have to be careful!" Chris cupped my face, forcing me to look into his eyes.  
Something hit my head, silvern, cold and hard.  
"Argh! James what?!"  
"It's hurting, isn't it? Heretic!"  
He did it again. He smashed his silvern crucifix necklace in my face, causing bleeding scratches. I cried out.  
"Stop this!" my voice cracked.  
But he carried on.  
"You sick fuck! Didn't you hear her?!"  
No more punches, not into my ribs, into James' instead.  
"Leave her alone!" Felix shouted and James ran.  
He stopped when he arrived at the black tower and turned around, looking at me.  
"It's not over! Heretic child!" James screamed before running.  
Felix took my hand to help me.  
"Thanks mate." but Rob looked still a bit worried.  
"Florence you have to be more careful. Honestly Flo, hide."   
I just nodded. Sweet that Isa cared about me so much but I am not a goddamn witch!  
"You should go home."  
"Okay." I let Felix's arm stay around me, it felt so good right now.  
"Thank you." I mumbled after a while.  
He didn't answer but kissed my hair again.  
I felt so calm when I was with him.  
He took me home, my hand in his comforting warm one.  
We could see the talk red flags, the witch hunters were in Bury St. Edmunds now.  
It was already getting dark, the tower was so frightening, so I squeezed his hand. I was so scared!  
I breathed a sigh, my whole body was aching now, usually that doesn't happen but usually I wasn't outside the whole day.  
Felix noticed that I was waking slower than before and he stopped.  
"Are you okay?"  
"Yeah, just a bit tired. My whole body is aching."  
"But then you're not okay."  
"Yeah, true, actually I'm not. You're right." I sighed again.  
"I will carry you home, Florence."   
"No no, you don't have to."  
"You are so exhausted."  
I opened my mouth and the answer was ready to be said but he cut me off.  
"Don't." his voice was so soft, my heart started melting.  
And he did, my feet left the ground and I found myself in his strong arms, my face buried in his chest.  
Felix literally carried me all the way from the tower to the front door.  
Even through the door, up to my room.  
Gracie looked worried but I shook my head so she knew that I was okay.  
Felix put me down on the bed, really gently.  
He was about to turn around but I didn't let go off his hand and gently pulled him back to me.  
"Please stay."  
"Florence you need to sleep. Honestly, you look like a ghost."  
"I'm naturally pale. Please stay with me." I begged and tears started to fill my eyes again. I cried so much today, what was wrong with me?  
"I'm scared. Please stay with me. Just tonight."  
I squeezed his hand, I wanted him to be with me.  
We haven't seen each other for two years, I've missed him and secretly loved him all the time.  
"Okay." he smiled, like he always did, his smile didn't change and I was happy about that, I was about to start crying again, just because I loved his smile so much.  
"I knew you couldn't resist me." I giggled. I must seem really cheeky right now but Felix just smiled and sat down next to me on the bed.  
"True. Magical beauty."  
"I'm not...!"  
"Hush, you are. The most beautiful lady of Bury St. Edmunds."  
His fingers were lightly stroking my cheek.  
I was wrong, of course I could love someone! I loved him so much!  
"But I'm not a witch. I'm not confirmed but that doesn't make me a witch. Stevie isn't confirmed and she is not a witch so why should I be one?"  
"You'd be the cutest and nicest witch ever. Not a witch that belongs on trial."  
"A witch that ... belongs to ..." I moved closer to him.  
He understood what I meant and wrapped his arms around me.  
It felt so good to lie next to him in my bed, his arms around me.  
I knew we weren't together but it felt right, so I moved closer to him, as close as possible, my head resting on his chest.  
"The witch that belongs to you." I finished my sentence.  
He did it again, he kissed my hair.  
I just had to, I tried to get even closer to him.  
But then I moved away.  
"I will be back in a minute." and I walked out my room  
I loved the velvet dress but I didn't want to sleep in it, so I quickly changed into the white dress I always slept in and went back to him.  
This time Felix pulled me on the bed.  
"Angel." he whispered.  
I giggled and a tired smile found its way on my face but not for that long, my head sank on his chest and I closed my eyes.  
"You're tired." he whispered into my fiery red hair.  
"I am."   
I loved cuddling up with him!  
Just a few seconds before I fell asleep, he whispered, "good night."  
"Nnn.... Night." I yawned sleepy.  
The last thing I noticed before falling asleep was, that he covered us both with the duvet.

 

~her dream~

I saw a bright fiery light, fractured.  
It was cold and impossible to breathe. I was drowning, my hair floating around. I felt like a mermaid, but a mermaid that had forgotten how to breathe underwater, so I was a dying mermaid, but I sort of loved the feeling of drowning.  
So cold and so sweet.  
I was tied to a chair and forced underwater, and I was sure that I can't hold my breath any longer, but as the first bubbles emerged from my mouth I saw her standing in front of me.  
She didn't have to breathe, she wasn't real, or was she?  
"Who are you?" I asked, my last breath.  
"Florence, drown, let it happen. You can't drown because you are a witch and this right now is just a dream. I can talk to you only this way. You are a witch like I am, use your powers wisely, Florence. I will give you some advices the next time. Now, drown."  
I screamed, underwater, I knew who she was!  
But I already spent my breath, I couldn't say her name. The cold water entered my lungs and filled, it burned.

 

"Florence! Hey wake up!",  
My eyes flew open, it was midnight, but the light of the moon was brighter than usual.  
Felix lightened a candle.  
I noticed that my face was covered in tears and my heartbeat was fast.  
"I heard you talking in your sleep."  
"Why did you wake me up?"  
"You seemed sad, you even screamed and cried and I felt like... It was my place to drag you out of that." he put his arms around me to calm me down.  
"I'm glad you did it. It was..." I hesitated.  
"A nightmare?"  
I nodded, it became sort of a nightmare.  
"You talked about a dying mermaid and... the witching hour."  
"Shit!" I remembered everything now.  
"Florence calm down. I will bring you some water. Stay here and take deep breaths. I will be back in a minute." he stroked my shoulder for a few second before he left my room.  
I sat up straight, realising everything.  
It was the witching hour, I sleep talked, even screamed in my sleep and the escaped witch, who is part of my family, spoke to me in my dream where I was drowning.  
I don't know how much time I spent on breathing but I heard loud voices and they came closer.  
"Oh fuck!" I gasped.  
What have I done? I was just sleeping! That was all!  
They burst into the room and pulled me out of my room.  
"Mum! Gracie! This is not true! Dad! Please! I haven't done anything! Aaargh!"  
He was lying on the ground, looking lifeless, water spilled all over him.  
"Felix!" I screamed, trying to get to him but the guard pulled me away from my family, to the black carriage.  
"What have you done to him?!"  
"Oh, he will sleep for a while, but not forever like you will, heretic child!" he spat and pushed me into the carriage.  
"Heretic child? I haven't done anything! I was with my friends all day!"  
Tears started to fill my eyes but I tried to look brave.  
"You will understand, when Mr. Nesbitt has explained, witch!"  
James! Of course! Isa was right, it was a bad joke, the worst!  
I started humming a little tune, to calm me down.  
I sleep talked but what did I say?  
"And oh my love remind me, what was it that I said?" I sang.  
"Ugh! Miss Welch! Will you shut up? I will introduce myself, my name is Matthew Hopkins, I think we already met. Pity, you seemed to be innocent." he smirked and showed his bad teeth.  
"I am innocent... I can't help but pull the earth around me, to make my bed."  
"This voice is too special to be the voice of a witch."  
"Well, I will be arrested anyway, so. I believe that witches are like people, there are good and bad ones. Holly's mum, Miss Blakely, is innocent, if you arrest me, you will have to set her free or..." this time I smirked and showed off my white teeth.  
"Or what?" worry glowed in his eyes.  
"Or I will curse you." I giggled as mad as I could.  
"Okay okay! Miss Blakely will be free tomorrow. Heretic child!" he spat.  
Ew!  
"And oh my love remind me, what was it that I did?"  
Yes, what have I done?!  
Now I would never be free again.  
But if I could use their fear of me to set innocent people free, it wasn't that wrong.  
It was a gift for Holly's mother, but it came with a price and I was that price, and I was the lamb, James was the knife.  
This is an offering.  
"This is s gift, it comes with a price, who is the lamb and who is the knife?" I sang, I wrote that song a few years ago and Isa and I used to sing it and danced in the forest.  
"Miss Welch! The whole village will wake up!"  
"Is it that bad?" I mumbled and continued the song but I just hummed to calm me down.

After what felt like eternity, we arrived at the tower.  
They dragged me up the stairwell and pushed me into a cell. There was a simple bed in it. The windows were small but the moon was shining so bright.  
"Your new home, witch Welch. We call it the Welch cell, a witch from your family was here many years before you... she escaped though. Cursed night, heretic child!" and he slammed the door.  
They weren't right, nor were they wrong.  
I was a witch, but I was innocent.


	3. Longing

Felix's P.O.V.

I woke up with a pounding headache, what happened last night?  
Okay, remember.  
I carried Florence home and we shared the bed, she wanted me to stay with her.  
Then she fell asleep just before I drifted off.  
After that, I woke up because was gasping for air and always screamed the name of someone... Syren?  
I couldn't remember.  
She cried in her sleep, always saying that she wanted to drown and didn't want to burn and she spoke about how badly the water was burning in her lungs.  
I shook her shoulder and she woke up, wide eyed and anxious.  
She was so anxious, I offered to bring her some water.  
So I had the jug and wanted to go upstairs but then someone hit me and then... I couldn't remember.  
But the man wasn't alone... someone was standing behind him... I saw him before...  
It was Matthew Hopkins, the witchfinder!  
"Oh fuck no! Please no! Florence?!"  
I ran upstairs to her room to find the door opened, the duvet beside the bed her clothes lying all over the floor, the red velvet dress was torn.  
I picked up the dress, it still smelled like her, a flowery mist.  
"Gracie?"  
"Yeah?"  
"They arrested her, didn't they?"  
"They did."  
"Why? Florence hadn't done anything! Why did they arrest her?"  
"We don't know yet. Maybe just because of her red hair..." Gracie was just as sad as I was.  
"I need to find out." I mumbled.  
And I knew where I had to go, she had been with Isa that day.  
I ran as fast as I could, to Isa's house, but she wasn't there, so I continued searching and finally found her on the market.  
"Isa!"  
She turned around and quickly put the carrot, which she didn't pay, in her bag.  
"I will just pretend like I didn't see that..." I sighed.  
"What is it? You seem worried. Where is Flo?"  
"That's why I'm coming to you, she... got arrested last night..."  
"No!" Isa cried.  
"... I'm sorry... but we all don't know why..."  
"I told her to be more careful. Before you came to help her she... made a really bad joke... we wanted James to go away and she literally said; maybe the kiss of a witch will do its work. You know... after they broke up he started to hate her. And also a few things she did in the past, when she was little." Isa constantly hesitated, but she could trust me. I was confirmed, yes, but I was t that religious.  
Okay, actually I wasn't religious at all.  
"We have to break her out somehow."  
"But how...?" Isa's eyes widened and I heard them coming.  
The witch hunters on their black horses, friesians, the black carriage behind them.  
There he was, Matthew Hopkins, the snake!  
I met him already before he became the witchfinder, God, how much I hated this guy, why did he come here? And Florence isn't a witch!  
I went closer to the carriage. Two women where in there, the taller one definitely was Florence but I didn't know who the other woman was.  
The witchfinder read a scroll to us, like yesterday.  
"I am happy to announce that we found a cursed soul. You don't have to be afraid of her anymore, Florence Leontine Mary Welch can't hurt you."  
"She never hurt anyone!" Is a screamed angrily but Matthew just ignored her and continued reading.  
"But now that Florence is arrested, Miss Blakely will be set free, otherwise we'd all be cursed."  
"I didn't say it like that!" Florence yelled from the inside of the carriage.  
Matthew dragged Holly's mother out the carriage and just pushed her into the crowd.  
"Please don't treat her like that!" Florence cried out.  
"The trial will be this afternoon...",  
"She is innocent, she doesn't need to be on trial!"   
"Felix White! Ah, you were a good boy, pity that you left." he sighed sighed dramatically, but it was obviously fake.  
"I left because I missed my love."  
"Who is the lucky girl?" he smirked, wow his teeth were bad!  
"Well, she is right here and you made a huge mistake."  
"Felix!" Florence cried and held out her hand.  
I took her cold, porcelain hand and kissed it and came as close as possible.  
"Don't be afraid, you will be safe, we will break you out. You will live."  
"I'm so sorry but I had to set Holly's mother free... I said that I will curse him if he doesn't set her free. I will never be with you."  
"Florence don't say that!"  
"I listened to her advice, I'll let it all happen but if I will be free, then... Can we leave this village? Forever?" she was shivering.  
"Of course we will, I promise." he emeralds eyes were filled with tears, her face came closer.  
But then the carriage rolled away and Rob and Chris dragged me away as I tried to stay at Florence's side.  
"Stop fighting mate. Now is not the right time."  
And I stopped they were right, we had to wait for the right moment, otherwise we will sacrifice ourselves or even worse, Florence.


	4. And with one kiss

Florence's P.O.V.

Even though I was so heartbroken I loved Felix more than anything, he was just... I loved him.  
I felt a panic attack rise, so I focused on deep breathing but it was almost useless.  
Without Felix I couldn't prevent a panic attack.  
Wait, maybe thinking about him will help, so I thought about last night, before the witch hunters dragged me around.  
I was so calm, and he was too, in my warm bed, just cuddling.  
But I still don't know why they arrested me.  
I knew just one thing, James wanted revenge, obviously.  
So the first trial will be this afternoon but we weren't on the way to the tower, where are they taking me?  
"Um... Excuse me? Where are we going?"  
No answer.  
"Hello?"  
Still no answer.  
"Okay, you wanted it this way..." I knew exactly how to make them speak.  
"Too fast for freedom, sometimes it all falls down, these chains never leave me, I keep dragging them around."  
"Miss Welch!"  
I just giggled.  
"Would you have it any other way..." I sang and also prepared the belted note.  
"You couldn't have it any other way!"  
"Okay! What do you want?" Matthew shouted angrily.  
"Where are we going?"  
"To the place the trial will take place."  
"Already?"  
"You will have to spend a bit of time there."  
Ugh! Great, but at least I won't have to spend hours in the dark cell.  
Well okay, I can't know where I'll stay then.  
I started singing again, just to pass the time and I ignored the constant chorus of "shut up Miss Welch!"  
I just sang even louder and more furious and felt even more brave as I sang, "Who's a heretic now?  
Am I making sense?  
How can you make it stick?  
Waiting 'til the beat comes out  
Who's a heretic, child?  
Can you make it stick, now that I'm on trial  
Waiting 'til the beat comes out!"  
And I kept singing for a long time, my voice even stronger with every minute, but as we arrived at the church I stopped.  
A church?  
I thought they'd bring me to the courtyard, but no, they brought me to a church.  
Interesting.  
They dragged me out again, the chains cut into my wrists and ankles but I pretended like everything was fine, I tried to seem strong.  
But when they pushed me into a stall and went away, I broke down and cried.  
After a while I noticed I wasn't alone.  
I looked up.  
A black friesian horse was staring back at me, looking confused.  
"Hey little girl." I whispered.  
She came closer, looking at me, how I looked like and how I smelled and her conclusion was, I am okay, not dangerous.  
"They arrested you too." her stall was a prison, I noticed right now.  
There was a sign which said; Don't touch this horse! She is the devil!  
"You are not the devil, they are!" I whispered as I saw the bloody scratches, they were all over her glossy, black fur.  
Horses were always so graceful, she lay down beside me and seemed even more graceful with every second.  
"You trust me? I trust you too."  
And we spent hours like this, I, leaning on the young horse lady, she looked at me from time to time, as if she wanted to make sure that I'm okay.  
I was.... sort of.  
I was thirsty, tired and hungry but I was sure that if they'd give me something to eat, I'd throw up.  
After a bit of time I started to play with her black mane and started to braid it, so I had at least a little bit to do.  
I almost fell asleep but I felt that the mare was getting nervous.  
"What is wrong?" I stood up, otherwise I'd fall when this horsey stands up, which she did.  
"What is it?" she was staring at the corner of the stall.  
I followed her glance and yes, there was something in the straw and it was moving.  
"What is that?" I slowly went closer to the moving straw ball and even though the young mare was scared, she followed me.  
I heard a tiny scream, coming from the straw ball.  
"Oh my god! No!" I shrieked in disbelief, but it was exactly what I thought.  
"Who did this? That's cruel!" I almost cried.  
I picked the baby up, so it didn't have to stay on the cold ground and I held it close to my chest, so it was at least a bit warm.  
"Who did this?!" I whispered over and over again, pacing up and down.  
This little one was cold and tiny but I did my best to keep it warm.  
At the end I curled up and held it as close as possible, trying to give as much of my own warmth as I could.  
I wrapped my arms around the baby, keeping it warm and hiding it at the same time because I heard footsteps.  
But it wasn't who I expected.  
"Felix! Thank God!" but I stayed where I was, curled up with the baby close to my chest.  
"Florence! Are you okay? You are hiding something."  
"No, I'm fine, you don't need to come in." Oh shit, why did I say that?!  
"Something is wrong." he entered the stall.  
"No really, I'm fine." but he came to me.  
I moved a bit away from him, but I hit the wall which cause a sharp pain crawling up my spine.  
And he saw it.  
"Florence! Oh Christ! Did you just give bir..."  
"No I didn't. I found it there in the straw. Someone abandoned it. I just felt like I have to protect it and keep it warm."  
I didn't give birth! He was with me yesterday and I wasn't pregnant!  
"Why would somebody do this?!" he was obviously shocked, just as shocked as I was when I found the little straw ball.  
"I have no idea... I need help. I can't take care of this little one. You know." I started to panic.  
We looked at the baby, which was cold, tiny and weak.  
It moved a bit in my arms and looked at me, the light in its big blue eyes fading.  
"It's dying! Please Felix! I need help!"  
"Stay where you are!" he ordered before he ran out of the stable.  
"Please don't!" I whispered to the baby.  
It grabbed a strand of my red hair and played with it, the glow of life in its eyes fading, fading, constantly fading.  
"Please! I know you can do this!" I whispered as it grabbed my finger and held on to it.  
Even though I knew it wouldn't work I tried to breastfeed it but it wasn't my child, so of course it didn't work.  
And then it passed away, snuggling my bare chest. I cried.  
If it would've been my child I would've been able to safe it, but it wasn't.  
I knew it was dead but I held it tight, close to my heart.  
Felix came back with a nun, running, but it was too late.  
When he noticed that I was crying he ran even faster.  
I kissed the baby's little forehead, a tear fell on its tiny fingers, which still held on to my finger, but not this tight anymore.  
Felix wrapped his arms around me and kissed my cheek, always reminding me;" it's going to be okay." but I sobbed even heavier.  
The nun sat down next to us, just as sad as we were.  
"It's going to be okay." she whispered in a soothing voice but it was impossible for me to calm down.  
A baby I tried to keep alive just died in my arms. It was the most horrible thing I've ever experienced, impossible to forget it.  
When the witch hunters found us like this, I knew, I wouldn't survive the trial.  
It wasn't my child, but how could they know?  
It was probably what they thought when they saw us in the stall.  
A woman with a baby in her arms, a man and a nun by her side, she must be the mother of the, dead, child.  
Also the way I protected it...  
I won't survive the trial.  
Felix fought them, he wanted to stay by my side, but at the end they dragged him away.  
The nun, for some reason, was allowed to stay.  
They took the baby away and I cried and cried.  
"Miss Welch. It will be fine. It wasn't your fault. You did your best."  
"If I was a mother I could've saved it. But no! I'm a proud virgin. But at the moment I'm not proud of it anymore." I sobbed.  
"It is okay. I don't think they'd burn you because you tried to save a baby." she put her arm around me.  
I sighed and wiped my tears away.  
"It's even worse now. James will invent something and everyone will think that I just had a baby and... they will think that I'm a witch and that witches are infertile... And that the baby died in my arms will... But witches can carry children... I'm the grandchild of an escaped witch."  
Why did I just tell her that?! She's a nun!  
Her eyes widened for a second.  
"Sybil Welch" she whispered.  
I gasped.  
"How do you know?!"  
"She was a good friend of my grandmother... How old are you?"  
"Twenty-six."  
"Like Sybil when she was on trial."  
"WHERE IS MISS WELCH?!"  
"Ugh! No! Please no!" I whined.  
The mare was pacing up and down just as nervous as I was, but it seemed like she was dancing.  
"Delilah!" I whispered.  
"Everything will be fine. Actually I'm not that religious. I believe that witches are like people, there are good and bad ones." then she left me and Delilah in the stall.  
Right after she left, the witch hunters dragged me out again, ignoring my shrieks of pain as the chains cut into my skin.  
In the church they took the pain from me, no chains anymore, but why?  
I didn't understand. A church wasn't a bad place.  
"A place where God is present will make you tell the truth, a witch can't stand a religious place and also, if you lie, what witches still can do even here, it will prove that Satan possesses this soul. Now, put your hand on the holy words of truth." the guards voice was much friendlier than before but I felt the cold iron that he held behind my back, I shivered.  
If I won't do it I'd die right now. I'd probably die anyway but I didn't want to die like this.  
I did it, feeling the soft paper, still shivering because of the threatening knife I felt.  
That was completely nonsense! Even if I'd tell the truth James would always say I lie. They won't believe me whatever I say. That doesn't make sense!  
"Mr. Nesbitt, tell us what happened, all the details."  
James stepped forward, a black eye and a broken arm.  
What the hell happened to him?!  
"First of all, she is not confirmed and follows her own beliefs."  
"Is that right, Miss Welch?" the snake asked, grinning and showing his bad teeth again.  
"Yeah... that is... well, I'm open minded when it comes to religion I'd say..."  
"Go on." Matthew smirked.  
"I just..."  
"Not you Miss Welch! Remain silent!" he spat.  
James continued.  
"Yesterday she was out with a few people..."  
"They're my friends!"  
"Remain silent Miss Welch!" I felt the knife again, lightly brushing against my spine.  
"I don't think the knife is necessary." the only thing I agreed to.  
I hated Matthew Hopkins, the witchfinder, but at this point he was right.  
So I stood there in the middle, surrounded by almost the whole village. Everyone was there, my family too but mum seemed really disappointed.  
"This is not true!" I mouthed but she just ignored me.  
"Mum!" I whispered with tears in my eyes.  
"They were probably going to help her with her sorcery plans..."  
"James shut up! This is not true!" I cried.  
"FLORENCE WELCH! YOU WERE TOLD TO REMAIN SILENT!"   
I looked down at my feet, ashamed of myself, why did I trust him? I had to say no to Felix because of him! A man I never loved truly! But now it was too late and now was not the time to cry over the mistakes I made in the past.  
"She was in some sort of trance and I was worried, so I slapped her, hoping she would wake up but when I touched her, a sharp pain flowed through my arm and I felt it break. The black eye..."  
He sighed.  
"Last night I woke up and it felt like I was getting hit but there was nobody. She bewitched me!"  
I was shaking.  
"What?!" my voice sounded so shy.  
"Something like that happened before to other people. The children of the minister of Salem experienced the same thing." I could see that Matthew was thinking.  
"This can't be true." Felix stepped forward.  
"Who gave you the right to speak? Wait, wasn't it you who attacked the guards just a few minutes ago? Oh Felix. Seems like you are bewitched too."  
"He is not! First, I don't even know how all this witch stuff works. Second, even if I was a witch I would never bewitch the one I..." I hesitated.  
"The one I love."  
"Miss Welch, what did you do last night?" I shivered even more as Matthew came closer and played with a strand of my hair but I didn't stop him, that might end bad.  
"I was with her, she just..." he looked at me with this; have you done something? expression.  
"She didn't sleep well, but that was all."   
"Didn't sleep well? What can you tell us about it, Florence?" the way he pronounced my name was just so... disgusting.  
"I had a nightmare." I answered him.   
"No I didn't do anything!" I mouthed at Felix.  
"She seemed to be having a really horrific nightmare. She was even screaming. Don't you see it mate! You make her feel uncomfortable! Get your paws off her!" Felix shouted angrily.  
Matthew, who had put his arms around me, smirked but let go off me.   
"So she was screaming?"  
I nodded.  
"Sometimes I sleep talk when..."   
Florence Leontine Mary Welch hold your tongue! Another mistake!  
"You sleep talk?"  
I bit my lip.   
"Yes I do... Not every night. Just when..."  
"There you see! She sleep talks! She did that to me! She left her body in her room but her soul went out to punish me!" James whined.  
Why was he such a good actor?!  
I felt a hand on my shoulder.  
"Felix White! You are not allowed to do so, she is a witch and dangerous."  
"Of course I am allowed to be by her side. Forgotten where we were two years ago? Matthew? You know exactly who is allowed to and who is not."   
Now that I was in Felix's arms I was much more calm, it was always so comforting.  
"All this is not true." I whispered, lightly sobbing.  
"I know. We will break you out as soon as we can. I promise, you will be free." he kissed my hair.  
"Another thing." I looked around and the voice came from a guard, probably the one who saw me in Delilah's stall.  
"Oh no." I sobbed and buried my face in Felix's chest.  
"Earlier today, just before the trial, Florence and Felix were spotted in the stall of the devil mare..."  
"Her name is Delilah and you are the devil! She is badly hurt, you should be ashamed!" I shrieked.  
"Flo, better be quiet for now." Felix mumbled into my hair.  
The guard rolled his eyes and sighed before he continued.  
"A nun was with them and Miss Welch was holding a baby in her arms but it was dead. Witches are infertile as we all know, they rarely have babies and also their children rarely survive. Florence Welch is a witch."  
I was breathing heavier, trying to hold back the tears.  
"Florence, don't cry, everything will be fine. You will be free and we will leave this village. I promise." he held me even tighter.  
"Mr. Nesbitt, what can you tell us about this?"  
"She probably casted the spell to protect her baby, she was heavily pregnant yesterday. Seems like she gave birth in the stall. She just hid her belly from you all the time. She is a witch." as no one looked at him, he showed me his evil grin and I shot him with a furious glare.  
"Argh!" he screamed before he broke down.  
"What?!" I shrieked.   
How?! How have I done this?! He definitely deserved it but I couldn't tell if I have done that or if he was just acting again.  
When he stood up, there was a light green bruise on his forehead.  
I was about to start hyperventilating.  
Felix wrapped his arms around me tight.  
"Florence don't panic. He just hit his forehead on something..."  
"Don't touch me! I don't want to hurt you!" I shrieked anxiously.  
"We will come back to that later. Now tell us about your baby." Matthew smirked.  
"It wasn't my baby! Someone abandoned it and I found it and tried to save it but it was already too late." tears were streaming down my cheeks like a river.  
"She tried her best to keep it warm." the nun glared at Matthew.  
"Florence wasn't pregnant!" Gracie yelled.  
"How could you know? She is a witch." bad teeth everywhere.  
"I! Was! Not! Pregnant!" I broke down, crying.  
"Burn the witch!" James shouted.  
I heard this sentence from almost every, except Felix, Rob, Isa, Mark, Chris, Tom, Mark, Mum, Dad, Gracie, JJ, Holly and Stevie.  
Stevie?  
I didn't see her before.  
"Enough!" Felix shouted.  
Now everyone was silent.  
He slowly walked towards the witchfinder.  
"You know my status is higher than yours. Don't burn her, in a few day we will bring her to the Stirling's and then Lindsey will decide. Now everyone go home! I will take care of her."  
"Can we trust you?" Matthew, sort of, spat.  
"Of course you can."  
"Leonard! You will watch them."  
"Okay." Felix sighed.  
"Lindsey is a good friend of mine. She will understand and I don't think she will let you burn. Also we will have more time to make a good plan and escape. Everything will be fine. I promise!" he whispered in my ear.  
"Okay." I sobbed.  
"Here, the chains." Leonard, the guard, grunted.  
"I'm sorry Flo, but if we want this to work I will have to do that."  
I just nodded.  
So many horrible things happened today, I was just exhausted.  
But I was glad that Felix was there, he was much more careful.  
Also on our way back to the tower no one yelled at me when I sang.  
It took two hours but I was incredibly calm now that Felix was there.

 

"Flo. Wake up, we are there." Felix whispered.  
"What time is it?" I yawned.  
I must've fallen asleep.  
"Almost midnight. I'm sorry but I have to do this. Come with me."   
"Oh."  
Instead of dragging me up the endless flights of stairs, Felix carried me upstairs.  
"You don't have to do this." I mumbled.  
"You are exhausted! I will do this."  
"You are making the prison comfortable, I don't deserve this." I giggled.  
He put me down on the bed in my cell, gently.  
"I will be back in a minute."  
"Please stay." I begged.  
"You need it. I will be back." he kissed my cheek.  
Then he was gone and I cried, cried because I loved him so much.  
But he didn't lie, he was back after a few minutes, with water and something to eat.  
"Oh thank you so much! I was starving!"  
It felt so good to drink water again, I had been so thirsty all day.  
But when I tried to eat I felt so sick, but I tried to hide it so Felix won't worry about me.  
It was too much, I heaved.  
"Oh please no." I gasped.  
Felix understood immediately what was going on, ran out the cell and came back with a bucket.  
And I threw up.  
He rubbed my back and always whispered soothing words in my ear.  
"Ugh. Thank you." I sighed.  
"You should try to eat something, you need it." he put his hand on my shoulder.  
I did and didn't throw up again, gladly.  
"How do you feel?"  
"Way better when you're with me." I answered honestly.  
"Florence. When this is over... And we left Bury St. Edmunds... We will be together, no matter what. Okay?" Felix pulled me close.  
"Felix?"  
"Yeah?"  
"I love you. I loved you my whole life. I'm sorry I let you wait such a long time." I felt tears again.  
"Don't cry."  
But I sobbed even heavier.  
I cried so much lately.  
We got closer to each other, our lips were about to meet.  
"Florence?"  
"Yes?"  
"I love you too."  
"I love you more than words c..." then I was silenced by a kiss.  
Softer than any kiss before, the best kiss of all time, honestly.  
I put my arms around his neck, I wanted to be closer to him.  
"Flo?"  
"No please." I continued kissing.  
"Florence I have to go now, you need to sleep." he mumbled between kisses.  
"I don't think I can sleep."  
"Flo you need to." Felix gently pushed me back on the bed.  
"Will you come tomorrow?"  
"I will try. We have three days, then we will bring you to the castle. It's quite a long journey, we need to prepare everything but then you will be free. I promise, you will be free and we will leave." he kissed me one more time before he left.  
I tried to sleep but it was impossible, too many thoughts floating around in my head.  
The moon was brighter tonight, it was beautiful.  
"Fractured moonlight on the sea." I sang.  
"Don't sing about drowning, Florence."  
"Where?!"  
"Sshhh! I'm here, right behind you."  
"How did you get in? Who are you?" I turned around slowly.  
"Stevie?!"  
"Not this loud!"  
"You are a witch! It wasn't me, it was you last night, you were in James' house!" I whispered, still a bit frightened.  
"He definitely deserved it, he broke your heart." Stevie's silhouette came closer.  
"Not exactly... Our relationship became horrible for us both, we broke each other's heart and even before that, I broke Felix's heart, that's how it happened."  
"Whatever happens, Florence. You won't drown if you discover your powers and even if you don't, I won't let you drown or burn or whatever they want to do. They even pressed people to death but you won't end like them, you will live. I you like it or not, yes I can hear your thoughts, you are a witch, you can't change that. You can hide or you can use it to save other people's lives and now even yourself. Don't be afraid of it. No you can't touch me. Florence that tickles! I can't concentrate! I will be forced back into my body if you don't stop it. Flo!"  
I gasped as my hand went cold, there should've been Stevie's shoulder but it just felt like cold fog.  
"Florence please! Would you like to have someone's hand in your shoulder?!"  
"Wait, this is your soul?!" I was still fascinated.  
"Yes it is and now please get your hand out of my shoulder!"  
"Oh, I'm sorry. But how can I use my powers?"  
Did I use them already?  
"You did it already, James' bruise, in the church. You did that. Someone is coming, I have to go."  
Then Stevie was slowly fading but she gave me an encouraging smile.  
How did she do that?! And how can I do that?  
I could visit my family and tell them that I was fine.  
Ah better not, I would scare them way too much.  
But I could visit Felix, if I only knew how.  
Stevie said that she left her body at home and get souls traveled to me.  
Hm...  
I lay down on the ground, thinking of Felix and I focused on it.  
And I felt it, I was now staring back at me, lying on the ground, red hair around my head.  
I'd done it, I left my body.  
Of course I wasn't dead, I was a witch.  
But how could I get out here without being seen?  
I instinctively stepped in the moonlight and noticed that my foot was invisible.  
So that is how it works.  
The moonlight gave me strength, it felt good.  
I touched the wall, just to know how it feels, now that I wasn't in my body but my hand just disappeared in the wall.  
I giggled.  
"Yes!"  
I took another step and then I fell, hitting the ground felt amazing, it wasn't painful at all.  
In the moonlight I was invisible and I ran way faster than I normally did.  
Wow!  
At first I visited Stevie and she want that surprised to see me.  
"You are way stronger than I am.  
It took ages for me to take a few steps away from myself and you leave yourself for the first time and run all the way from the tower to my house. You will feel when someone is coming. Hey where are you? Ah, here."  
"Eeeeek! Stevie!" I squealed.  
Her hand was inside my chest where my heart should be but I was just a lightly glowing mist so it wasn't painful, all I felt was a cold tickle.  
"Now go and see your lover." she smiled.  
And I did.  
I noticed that I also jumped a lot higher than I normal, it felt amazing.  
I arrived at Felix's house, everything was dark, no light.  
I walked through the door, no one was there so I went upstairs to his room.  
And there he was, sitting on his bed and looking at the plans of the tower.  
Where I was standing was no moonlight, so I was visible for him, but I didn't say a word, I was just watching him.  
But after a while, but after a while I couldn't stand it anymore, I needed to talk to him.  
"Felix?"


	5. Calm

Felix's P.O.V

"Felix?"  
Someone was here, but who? And how did she get in here without... Florence?  
I turned around and yes, it was her, but at the same time it was not.  
"Florence is that you? Florence Welch?"   
"Yes it's me... I have to tell you something..."  
"You died?!" she was incredibly pale and seemed so surreal.  
"Um... No... I'm a witch... This isn't exactly me, I'm in prison, my real version..." she hesitated.  
"Florence what are you talking about?" now she got me confused.  
"Florence talk to me! Please!"  
"I'm at two different places at once. This isn't me... it sort of is me, but not physically. I'll show you."  
I was even more confused, but mainly because of what I saw now.  
She held her hand out but then it just disappeared.  
"What is going on?"  
"This is my soul, I'm invisible in the moonlight." she explained.  
"But how does that work?"  
"I'm a witch, I left my body but I can return, don't worry, I'm not dead. I'm alive. In the tower."  
She came closer, where the moonlight was, she was not, but when she walked through it, she was there again.  
"Take my hand." she whispered, her voice echoed quietly.  
I fully trusted her, I just knew I could trust her.  
But when I tried to take her hand, it was just a cold mist.  
"See? It is my soul, not my body, we can't touch each other. I can't touch anything, I'd just... you know... I didn't open the door, I just walked through the wall."  
"This is awesome, but scary at first."  
She sat down on the bed.  
"What are you looking for?" she pointed at the plans of the tower.  
"I try to find a mistake so we can break you out, IF we can't go to the Stirling's for some reason. But they didn't make any mistakes, it won't be easy." I sighed.  
"But I won't let you burn or drown. You will live."  
I put my hand on, and accidentally in her shoulder.  
"That tickles." she giggled.  
"I'm sorry."  
"No it's okay. I quite liked it. Even when you touch my soul it feels good." she paused.  
"I'd like to test something."  
She came closer, her eyes slowly closing, I did the same.  
It was cold but it felt good, she seemed to like it too.  
"The only thing I can feel." Florence whispered between kisses.  
Something cold pushed me back, so we were both lying on the bed.  
"I didn't even know I can do that." she gasped, kissing me forcefully.  
"You summoned the wind?"  
"Seems like that." she mumbled.  
I felt it, slowly and cold.  
"Florence!" I gasped.  
Something cold was in my throat, creeping into my lungs.  
Florence next to me was gasping for air.  
"Give me my breath!" she choked.  
But I couldn't answer, the coldness filled my lungs and made it impossible to breathe.  
It looked like tiny pieces of Florence were getting sucked away from her, all her energy flowed to me it but I couldn't use her witch energy so it was slowly killing us both.  
There was a ghost in my lungs.  
I couldn't even tell her how much I loved her, my vision became blurry and then I was blind.  
Welcomed by cold, breathless darkness.

 

Florence's P.O.V.

"No!" I choked.  
I just killed him and I was close to the end too.  
But I didn't want to die without one last kiss, I needed it.  
I crawled towards him and kissed him one last time.  
No.  
I could breathe again and sucked in my cold witch breath.  
The energy came back to me and at the same time the air flowed back into his lungs, I felt his heartbeat.  
He came back to life.  
"Flo, you're crying." he whispered.  
"You're back!" I gave him a shy kiss, I didn't want to give him the deadly witch breath again.  
"I can't wait to see you tomorrow, as a real person. Good night and sweet dreams." I kissed him again, carefully, before I got pushed back into my body, it definitely felt like it.  
I was laying beside the bed, sweating and breathing way too fast.  
I was exhausted and fell asleep immediately, dreaming of the sea, where our childhood kiss happened.  
Oh god! I was so madly in love, it all happened so quickly, but it felt so right.  
Like it was meant to happen.

 

I woke up again, the sunlight seemed quite violent today.  
What could I do? There was nothing to do in this cell, except staring into space and wait.

"Florence!"  
I jumped off the bed, he was there.  
"I'm so sorry! I didn't want to kill you last night!" I held my hand out, through the small window in the door.  
"But at the same time you were the one who saved me." he took my hand.  
They were warm and comforting, I was so calm again.  
"Here." he gave me grapes and an apple. I smiled.  
"Grapple... It looks like an apple but it tastes like a grape..."  
How I missed Gracie, my little sister. Yes, I was the older one but at the end it had always been her who calmed me down and was wiser.  
"You miss her." Felix read my facial expression.  
I nodded, I missed her, my family, my friends and of course I missed Felix when he wasn't here.  
"We will go already tomorrow, almost everything is prepared, in at least four days you will be free. Florence, I promise."  
He played with my hair and made me smile, stroked my cheek, gently pulled me closer and I caught his lips in mine, softly.  
He pulled away, I was confused as his lips left mine, but he just opened the door and came in to continue.  
"I'm in prison but I end up kissing you everyday. That's too good to be real." I whispered.

"I have to go now. Eat your grapple and here's water. I'll be back tonight. Don't breathe someone to death."  
"I'd kill myself if I try, so, no. I'm careful. There's nothing I could do anyway. Don't worry, I'll be fine."  
"You are pale as a corpse! You are not fine at all. Again, you will be free, I promise. See you later."   
"Okay." I kissed him one last time.  
Then I was on my own again, in a gloomy cell, left alone with the shrieks of the other prisoners.  
So I ate the apple and the grapes, what else could I do?  
Apart from pacing up and down?  
I sang a bit, about a boy building coffins, for kings and queens, beggars and liars, gypsies and thieves. They all came to him because he was so eager to please.  
He's made one for himself, one for me too and one of these days he'll make one for you.

"Great singing voice. Choir girl?" the man next to my cell asked.  
"Was..."I paused.  
"Why are you in here?"  
"Me and a few mates had a fight, drunk, but I was the only one who got arrested. You?"  
"They think I hurt my ex boyfriend by using magic, which I didn't but they don't believe me." I growled.  
"Who's your ex?"  
I sighed.  
"James Nesbitt..."  
"Oh... This guy is nasty... He's also one of the reasons I'm here."  
"You know him?" I shivered.  
"Yeah. He talked about you a lot. When your engagement was cancelled he was really angry. I had to stop him several times. Come on Florence, everyone knows where you got the cuts and bruises from..."   
"...h-he..." I hesitated but I had to get it off my chest.  
"He... he h-hit me..." I sobbed, trying to hold back the tears but I didn't do a great job.  
I cried until my eyes were hurting and I felt like I couldn't cry anymore.

 

"YOU CANT LOCK ME UP!"  
"Of course we can! You stay!"  
"I won't go in there!"  
"Say you will, otherwise you will regret it, witch!"  
I heard a slap and a loud shriek.  
"Maybe you can lock me up, but I'm still a free spirit! I can see your fear, I can see it with my third eye."  
I knew this voice.  
"_Please no!_"  
I leapt up from the ground and ran towards the peephole, it was more a tiny window.  
"Stevie?!"  
"Florence get back into your cell, they will hurt you!"   
"Stop this! You're hurting her!"  
"Otherwise she hurts us! Stupid redhead!"  
"Hold your tongue!" I scolded.  
"Better you do!"  
"Florence do what they say!" Stevie shrieked.  
"Get your paws off my friend!" I beat my fists against the door.  
"Florence stop it!"  
"That's enough! Sometimes pain is the best teacher." one of the guards growled and came to my cell.  
"I will show you pain you thief!"  
"What did I steal?"  
I couldn't help but I just burst into laughter.  
"Oh you know exactly what I mean! Our freedom!"  
"I will teach you.."  
"Oh no, I will show you pain! Yeah come and beat me! I'm like the bird, I've seen it and I will always come back for you! Better not eat chicken!"  
"You will learn your lesson!" he opened the door and I jumped away.  
"No you listen! Don't let the fallen star blind you! I haven't done anything to James and Stevie is innocent too. She's a wrongly accused woman and I'm the innocent witch!"  
Shit!  
"Oh so you confess!"  
"Florence what are you doing?" Stevie cried.  
For the first time I saw her cry.  
"No I didn't. You all say I'm a witch but I'm not. Even if I was a witch, I'd never hurt anyone!" my voice was much stronger than before.  
"You didn't confess you say? Then I will make you confess." he shouted and ran towards me.  
I felt it before I even realised what it was.  
A spark from my fingertips.  
This feeling overwhelmed me again and I formed a bright light ball, with which I made a shield.  
White energy waves surrounded me and I heard the noise of something heard hitting a wall and another noise that sounded like fire but there was no fire.  
It looked like tiny lightnings on his suit of armour.  
The static of his arms, it was a catalyst.  
Then he broke down on the ground.  
My shield, sort of, dissolved and white waves of witch energy swept away.  
"What have I done?!" my voice was at least one octave higher than it normally was.  
"You defended yourself."  
"You killed him!"   
Stevie and the other guard shouted at the same time.  
"She just tried to protect herself! It's not her fault that he ran into her electric shield!"  
"Heretic!"   
"Shut up and get someone to help!!! Move your damned feet!" I cried.  
And, for the first time a guard did what I wanted him to do, he ran away to get help.  
He came back with a doctor just a few minutes later.  
I just stood there, shocked.  
What did I just do?!   
The doctor looked at me.  
"He's dead."  
"The static of his arms, it was a catalyst! He's a chemical that burns, there's nothing but this! It's the purest element, but it's so volatile. An equation heaven sent..."  
I took a deep breath before I continued.  
"A drug for angels."  
He stood up and looked into my eyes, this soul piercing glance.  
"WHAT on earth are you talking about?!"  
"It's a drug for angels, deadly for men." I whispered.  
"You are crazy!" the doctor and Stevie screamed at the same time.  
"I'm not crazy, my lyrics are crazy, magic is crazy." I bit my lip, I had to be way more careful!  
"So you confess."  
"No. Listen, I didn't do anything to James. Check his arm, it's not broken, the bruise on his head... he probably just hit his head when he fell, in the church yesterday."  
"But why did he fall? He was forced backwards by your magic." the guard took a threatening step forward.  
"Do you know for sure?"  
"Do you know for sure?" the guard asked me.  
"See? We both don't know what happened. He's a liar."  
"You are. Inexperienced witches often use their magic without knowing. That's a clear sign!"  
What exactly was he?! Doctor or a someone who studies witches?  
"...what?!"  
Fuck it, I needed to cry, no pretending anymore. I wasn't strong enough, this was just too much.  
"That was my brother, the one you just killed. Just by the way, you know." he grinned, his teeth were better than the ones from Matthew.  
Heavy sobs started to shake my whole body, despair, fear, homesickness and pain, they all hit at once.  
I crawled away from them, in the corner, my back against the wall.  
I saw it, his huge sword. No! Please no!  
I wish I could just stop the time!  
"Florence you're the strongest witch I've ever seen!" Stevie sounded impressed.  
Did I bewitch them again?  
I had done something, the sharp pain I expected didn't come, so I opened my eyes to see what was going on.  
Seems like I made the time stop, not for me and Stevie, just for the angry guard and the witch doctor or whatever he was exactly.  
The sword was already really close to me, but I heard footsteps, someone was coming.  
They couldn't see it! I have to stop this now!  
"Florence what are you thinking?! Don't do this!"  
But I made my decision already. If this was my fate, I would accept it.  
I saw who was coming, but it was already too late, his sword cut into my stomach and even deeper.  
I screamed in pain.  
"Florence what have you done?!" Stevie burst through the wall.  
"Why are you doing this to her?!" Felix yelled at the same time.  
I just gasped, I could still feel the cold iron inside of me.  
"Get-it-out!" I gasped.  
"Die witch!"  
"I will but get this sword out of my body!" I shrieked.  
And I shrieked even louder as he pushed the cold iron even deeper inside me before he did for what I begged.  
"The blood of a witch, so pure, so red." he held his sword and grinned at me.  
"You're sick!" Felix somehow knocked him down and dragged him out of my cell and the doctor ran away before he even glanced at him.  
"Florence! Can you hear me? ... What?" he knelt down beside me and pulled me close so my head was resting on his chest.  
"W-what?" he held me even tighter, still unable to believe what just happened.  
I pointed on the huge cut on my stomach.  
"I... I think... he cut almost... a-all the way through." I cried, weak.  
"But why did he do this?! I swear, I will kill him!"  
"I accidentally... argh! K-killed his brother... the electric shield... I-I just... wanted to protect myself and... and then" my eyelids got heavier.  
"Florence please don't leave." he gently stroked my cheek.  
"Not... not... my choice." I sighed almost breathless.  
"Florence I love you!"  
"I... ugh!"  
I brought his head down to kiss him for the last time. It was soft as always.  
Then I broke away. My vision became blurry.  
"I... l-love..." the strength left me.  
I heard his words through the veil.  
"Florence! Please stay!"  
I tried to form the last word of the sentence but I couldn't.  
The soft darkness took me away, I was at peace. Calm.


	6. Child of the moon

Felix's P.O.V

"Florence stay, please." I held her as close as I could.  
"She is dead you fool! You see how huge this cut is! She can't stay. Accept it. She is dead."  
Stevie was just as shocked as I was.  
"There's still a bit of light in her eyes. Just hold on to the green light, Flo. Hold on to your heart. Oh darling."  
She wasn't fully there but still not gone. Just give me the green light, so I have at least something left from her.  
I put my hand on her chest where her heart was at, it was still beating, but slower and slower.  
"Darling, heart, I loved you from the start... argh."  
Her words were quietly whispered, weak, almost gone.  
"I love you too."I whispered before I left a gentle kiss on her lips.  
She smiled, but her smile slowly dropped and the stars in her eyes, they were blown out. She was in the dark.  
No dawn and no day, she will always be in this twilight. In the shadow of my heart.

One last green spark, then she was no more.  
"Florence, I'm so sorry."  
I closed her eyes for her, it looked like she was sleeping calmly, but no kiss, no gentle word could wake her from this slumber.  
People were coming and going, looking at the dead witch, not using her name.  
Florence Leontine Mary Welch.  
I stayed by her side all day, the sun was already setting, I was not ready to let her go, not yet.  
No, I would never be ready, but sooner or later in life, the things you love you loose.

"So it's true. She is dead."  
I looked up, it was Isa, the pixie-like blonde, Florence's best friend.  
"Who did this? I will kill him!" her eyes were already red, she must've cried a lot.  
"I don't his name, but I think he... Leonard!"  
"This will be his last night in this world!" Isa shrieked.  
"Isa don't! Florence wouldn't want that." Stevie put her hand on Isa's shoulder.  
"And of course you know for sure." Isa scolded.  
"No I don't know for sure but I don't think Florence would want you to put yourself in hella danger."  
Isa looked down to hide the tears.  
"You should try to sleep. You look tired." Stevie was always so calm when everyone else was not.  
"I am tired. We had a good plan how we could set her free and for if words aren't enough, how we could break her out... it was all useless at the end."   
Isa came over and hugged Florence as tight as she could, for one last time.  
"Sleep well, Isa." Stevie said in a soothing voice.  
"I hope I will." she sobbed.  
Stevie put one hand on Isa's head, the other just above her heart.  
"Now you will."  
"You're a witch, right?"  
"Yes Isabella. Florence was so much stronger than I could ever be. She even stopped the time. Just before Leonard killed her. She let the time flow again because she heard someone coming and didn't want anyone to see it. It all happened so quick."  
"Can I see the cut?"  
Isa shivered.  
Poor Laydee Isa, Florence called her that quite often.  
I nodded, it was nothing bad, just a curious Isabella Summers.  
So I removed the dress and revealed her porcelain shoulders and even more of her soft skin, until we saw a huge, and bloody, cut lower on her stomach, it seemed to be deep.  
"Oh my!..." Isa broke down on the ground and cried.  
"It's a real miracle that she could still talk for that long..." Stevie became quieter, lost in thoughts.  
"Isabella you should go home and get some rest. You must be devastated." Stevie gave her another chill, so Isa was calm again.  
"Okay you're right. Good night everyone." and she left the tower.

Gracie and JJ came to see their sister.  
Crying over her death and over her huge cut.  
Also Nick came to see his daughter, he was horrified, but the only one of her family who didn't come was her mother, Evelyn.  
"She doesn't want to get in contact with a cursed body, she is afraid of it. But she is definitely in despair. Obviously." Nick defended his wife, but that didn't change my emotions.  
A loving mother, but not brave enough to come and see her, dead, daughter.  
There was a fire of anger in my chest, but I tried my best to hide it.

When it was dark, he left too, but I was still not ready to leave.  
I caressed her soft skin, going down to the cut, but then something was strange.  
"Her blood should be dry... It's not flowing but also not dry..."  
"Sit down there! With her." Stevie pointed right before the window, where usually the moonlight was shining on Florence's face when she slept.  
I did what Stevie said.  
The moonlight wasn't shining through the window yet, but we could already see a bright full moon.  
"Only a few minutes left." Stevie whispered.  
I didn't question anything she said, Stevie was a witch and she knew what she was doing, obviously.

"And... now. See what happens." Stevie was still whispering.  
The moonlight softly touched her skin, slowly creeping further into the room until it was a bright night.  
"See?" tears rolled down her cheeks.  
Yes, I saw it, the blood that was all over, flowed back into her body, slowly at first but it was happening.

Now there was no blood on the floor anymore, at all came back to her.  
A little red stream, flowing back home.  
I slowly caressed her ribcage, but then I stopped above her heart, I felt the first little flutters.  
Seemed like the cut wasn't as deep anymore as it was before, I covered it with the dress again and pulled it up so she was fully dressed again.  
"She's not breathing."  
"Don't worry, that will come. Just wait." Stevie wasn't crying anymore.  
I held her as tight as I could.  
Her body was cold, so I held her even tighter to warm her.  
A tiny breath came out her mouth, tickled my throat.  
She was breathing calmly the next few seconds but then she breathed heavier and even started gasping.  
"Hey hey hey Flo, Florence. It's fine. Everything is okay. It's okay."  
"Where... what is...? Argh!" she pressed her hand on the cut and cried.  
"We need to get out of here. Now!"   
I carefully picked her up and followed Stevie outside.  
We were lucky, not a single guard was here, but where were they?  
I ran as fast as I could, with Florence in my arms.  
"Where do we go?" Stevie asked.  
"Isa."  
"The blonde you mean."  
"Exactly."  
When we arrived at Isa's house, Stevie smashed her fists against the door violently.  
"What on earth? Florence?!"  
"Isa shut up please! Sorry. But please not that loud." I whispered.  
"I'm sorry, come in. The others are still here." Isa let us in and I put Florence down on the sofa.  
"Flo you're alive!" Rob leapt up from the chair he sat on.  
Chris looked like he just saw a ghost.  
Not that surprising, Florence was pale as a corpse and skinnier than usual.  
"I guess so." she mumbled.  
"Are you okay? You were dead when I saw you and the cut was huge and bloody. And incredibly deep!" Isa sat down next to her and took her best friend's hands.  
"I think I'm okay... I just feel a bit drowsy." her voice was quiet, in a weak way.  
"Tom! We need water!" Isa ordered.  
"And we need to talk." Stevie said, facing Florence.  
She just nodded and closed her eyes.  
"Here's the water." Tom came back and Florence thanked him for it with a tired smile.  
"Felix?" she looked around.  
I leapt over to the sofa, Isa stood up so I could sit down next to Florence.  
"You're there." she smiled and shuffled closer to me.  
I held her tight again, she seemed to like it.  
"What I wanted to say before I, temporarily, died... I love you." she whispered.  
"You said it, later. I think you didn't even noticed it." I kissed her on her lips, carefully and she kissed back, softly like she always does.  
"Okay enough, lovebirds." Stevie's voice was quite harsh.  
We broke away but Florence came even closer and I held her even tighter, she liked it.  
"Florence, you're a child of the moon, daughter of the rain and snow. You can't die. Well okay, you can, but it's difficult. Sure when you get older. Do you get what I mean? No one can kill you, except fire and water. But apart from that you're sort of immortal. This cut was huge, you should be dead, but you are not. No Felix, I hear your thoughts, it would've healed up anyway, the moonlight just speeds up the process. You are a witch, probably the strongest witch of all time. Florence?"  
"She fell asleep. But she heard the beginning." I answered for her.  
She can't sleep now, we need to leave!" Isa shrieked.  
"She can, at least for a few hours."  
"Rob are there tears in your eyes?" I was surprised.  
"I'm happy that she is alive." he shrugged.  
"She's so pale. It must've been so horrible for her. There in the tower. They treated her like a... you wouldn't even treat a dog this bad. From what I saw. I didn't see everything they did but I'm sure it was horrible." Isa looked at Florence who was sleeping in my arms.  
"Rob, Chris, Tom. We need to pack. Now."  
And they left me alone, alone with Florence, the sleeping angel.

"Florence. Florence wake up, we need to leave." I whispered in her ear.  
"No mum school starts tomorrow, I can sleep today." she mumbled.  
"Flo."  
"Hm?"  
"Get up. We're leaving Bury St. Edmunds." I kissed her cheek.  
"Oh. Yeah. I'm awake... I'm awake... I hope." she was still quite sleepy.  
"Where are they? Isa and so."  
"Waiting outside with the horses. Do you feel like you can ride on your own or do you rather want to..."  
"No no. I can do this. Let me..." she fell over... something.  
"You can't." I helped her up.  
"I can." she stumbled outside.  
"It's quite risky but Florence will have the fastest horse. Then we are sure that she will be save." Isa pointed at the stallion next to her.   
Fiery red.  
She was so pale.  
"Florence you can't..."  
"I can! ... Also I have to, they're coming!" she shrieked.  
I helped her on her horse before I went to my own, the black, Salvador.  
A few seconds later we were galloping through the fields, followed by Matthew and his witch hunters.  
"They're following us!" Isa screamed.  
"Yeah we all know that Izz." Rob scoffed.  
"Into the forest! It's a bit more difficult for their army horses!"   
"But it's also difficult for us, Felix! Especially for Flo!"  
"On the fields they'd follow us forever! It's the only way!"  
Isa and her horse were right beside Florence, at the front and they changed the direction, into the forest.  
"Whatever you do, don't look back!"   
Me and Salvador were the last who entered the forest, right behind Rob.  
"Flo are you alright?!!!"   
"Yes she is!" Isa answered for her.  
"They're still behind us!"  
"Rob you shouldn't look back, concentrate on riding first! Stevie? Are you still there?"  
"Yes Felix!"   
She was in the middle of our "pack" on a white horse.  
Really good to see in the dark, good and bad. You could always see her, we won't loose her but the witch hunters could see her too.

 

Isa's P.O.V

We almost couldn't see them anymore, we were faster.  
But then suddenly, Florence shrieked, her face screw up and she cringed while riding.  
"Florence?!"  
She didn't answer, she cried out in pain.  
"Florence what is wrong? Flo?"  
"The cut!"  
"What is wrong with it?"  
She didn't answer, she fell from her horse and cried.  
I jumped down and ran to my best friend.  
"Florence what is wrong?"  
I still got no answer, she was just lying there on the ground, crying and pressing her hands on where the cut was.  
"What's wrong with her?" Felix stopped his tall, black horse.  
"I don't know!" I cried, I didn't know what to do, I couldn't help her.  
"I think I know. The blood of a witch makes any weapon stronger but whenever it is close to her, she could feel it. It's not always pain but her cut is still quite... You know. It's still not fully healed up I think. It needs time. In two days she should be fine." Stevie explained.  
"That means Leonard is following us." Felix growled.  
"Stand up Florence. You will be safe. Right behind Felix." I took her hand and helped her.  
She clung onto him and cried.  
"Florence everything will be fine." Felix massaged the back of her hand to calm her down.  
But during the ride it didn't got better. I heard her shrieks all the time.  
"When we arrive there in Tethford we will take her to a hospital. She needs to rest."  
No one replied but our horses obviously sped up.  
I was beside Felix and Florence all the time, she was whining.  
Felix massaged her hand and pointed at the small houses further away.  
"It's okay, we're almost there."  
Florence nodded and buried her face in his back and cried.  
I hated to see her suffer but I couldn't do anything, it was magic and I was absolutely helpless.  
But when we arrived, Florence screamed in pain, it seemed to be even worse than it was before.  
Everything happened so quick, they were everywhere.  
"Leonard!"  
"She should be dead!" Leonard pointed at Florence who was sitting behind Felix, unable to talk, the pain was too bad.  
"She is an accused witch, you're not allowed to travel with her."  
Leonard forced his horse forward and tried to get Florence but Felix was a good rider and a good fighter.  
But they were too many.  
They knocked us down, one by one and then they took Florence away. That was the last thing I noticed before I passed out.

 

I woke up in a fluffy bed.  
"Rob?"  
"Yes Isa?" he was next to me.  
"Where are we? I thought they'd arrest us." I was confused.  
"Felix. They can't arrest him and because we were with him we were lucky. This bed is heavenly."  
"Yeah. So fluffy. Where is Flo?" I was so worried about her.  
Rob sighed.  
"In prison. Here. Poor Flo, from one cell to the next. But soon she will be free after Lindsey decided. I'm sure."  
"I hope."  
I didn't want her to suffer more than she already did.


	7. Shut up and kiss me

Florence's P.O.V.

_You should be dead! Heretic child! Satan's daughter! Bloody ruby! Cursed emerald! Witch!_  
I was nothing of this, except the witch, that is what I was, what I always was and always will be until the time decides to take me, to where the water is.  
That's how I imagine it, and it was a bit like this, I was floating, neither time or space, just endless water but I didn't need to breathe or anything, I was calm, at peace.  
But yesterday night I came back to life, I'm a child of the moon.

Thoughts flew around in my head, I didn't sleep, now I regretted it, I was incredibly tired now but still restless.  
But how am I supposed to sleep when I got those intense cramps?  
It was horrible, every time they hit again I heaved.  
I was alone, the tiny window in the door was closed, no one could see me, so I, halfway, pulled off my dress and looked at the cut but it wasn't really there, just a red line.  
Then it went very red and my whole stomach began to cramp up and the worst thing, someone was unlocking the door and I was topless.  
But I couldn't move or something, the pain was too intense.  
I just stayed the way I was.  
It wasn't who I expected, "just" Felix.  
"Florence are you okay? Darling!"  
I tried to say something but I just couldn't.  
"Flo?" he carefully removed my hand from the cut.  
"Cramps!" I gasped, that was all that came out of my mouth.  
"Leonard is here, with his sword... You can feel it, right?" he pulled me closer.  
"I think it can't heal up that good when he is here. Oh... Finally..." I sighed, relieved.  
"It's only a bit red but before the cramps hit it becomes really red."  
I caressed it carefully.  
"Your skin is soft..." Felix suddenly whispered into my hair.  
"I love you."   
"I love you too. You know?"  
"I know." I started giggling.  
"You do?"  
"I do, do you?"  
"I think so."  
"You think you do, huh?" I pecked his lips.  
"Yes. I think I do and I do know that you love me and I love you, you know?" he kissed me back.  
"Ya, I do know, you know?"  
"We could keep going for ages. This is cute, you are."  
"No you are, I'm not." I giggled before I softly kissed him again.  
"I will take care of this." Felix laughed and pulled up my dress so I was dressed again.  
"Well, you don't have to." I giggled, stopping him.  
"Florence Leontine Mary Welch, behave." he laughed.  
"I'm a bad girl, you know?"  
"I know."  
"You do?"  
"Yes Flo."  
I laughed loudly as he kissed my neck.  
"The wicked witch likes that."  
"I see."  
"You do?"  
"Yes I do, you know?"  
"Yep. I know." I cupped his face before I kissed him.  
"You dare?"   
"Do you?" he played with my hair.  
"I would. You?"  
"Probably..." he smirked.  
I brought his head down so I could kiss him and soon we were both lying on the ground, kissing.  
"Are we really going to do this?"  
"It's risky."  
"I know." I bit my lip. "But I don't want to wait."  
"Me neither."  
"Shit! We will have to... argh. Fuck you Leonard!"   
We pulled away quickly, as if nothing happened.

"You know that Miss Welch..." Felix said in a threatening voice.  
I tried to look upset, acted as good as possible.  
"If you try to break out we will kill you on the spot." Leonard smirked.  
"... No... We better go now, Leonard."  
So they went away, but after a while Leonard came back.  
"I won't change my mind, if you break out I will find you and kill you. I will find a way to get rid of you. Oh, here's some water and bread."  
I leapt up and gulped down the water fast and Leonard threw the bread into my cell.  
"Um... Thank you?"  
He wasn't there anymore.  
But a while after I ate the bread I started to feel sick and a bit drowsy.  
"Ah I should've known." I lied down and took deep breaths but it didn't get better.

"Knock knock Big Flo Flossie?"  
"Isa?" I stumbled towards the door and opened the peephole.  
"Flo you okay? You're so pale! Did something happen?" Isa held her hand out and I took it.  
"I think Leonard poisoned me... I feel so sick and drowsy... It's incredible." I sighed, I wanted to lie down again and try to hold back the vomit which was burning in my throat.  
"I don't think it will work, you know? Child of the moon." Isa massaged the back of my hand.  
"Crazy stuff... I hope I will survive that..." I placed one hand on my stomach and anxiously grabbed Isa's shoulder as I lightly swayed forward.   
Isa cupped my face and kissed my forehead while I focused on deep breathing.  
"Florence everything will be fine. I'm sure. IF Lindsey decided to let you burn, Felix knows the prison there, we can break you out easily. Before the burning they always imprison them for a bit of time. However she decides, you will be free at the end anyway."  
"Hm..." now Isa had five eyes.  
"...I-Isa?"  
"Florence what is wrong?"  
"I... I think poison might work..." my legs weren't strong enough, I broke down.  
"Flo! Someone help me! Help! I'll be back, stay strong, okay?" I vaguely heard Isa's words and noticed that she ran away but it was difficult to focus.

"Florence!" Felix knelt down beside me. "How do you feel? What is going on?"  
"...Felix?... I can't really see you, everything is full of leaves... you're pink!" I started sweating and shivering.  
"What did he give her? Do you know that Isa?"  
"The... bread... But it could've also been the water... something in it. It tasted weird, a bit like a berry." everything looked so weird.  
Isa's lips were glittering purple, I saw colourful sparks all over and leaves, it made everything look surreal.  
"I think I know. We use it for hunts, it's a deadly poison, you die immediately.  
I think you will survive it Flo, you should be dead already now but you are not. You will make it." he kissed my head, his face full of purple leaves.  
"I might need a bucket... my stomach is a battlefield..." it was, and I felt the vomit burn in my throat, again.  
"I will get one!" Isa ran again.  
Two day and so much happened, I got stabbed, imprisoned again and poisoned now.  
"Get outta ma way... I not... don't... wanta throw yup on u..." I slurred.  
But after the first few steps I stumbled and fell, so I crawled towards the door.  
"Fuck uuuu poishooon. Nah... can't... speeeek!" it was definitely affecting me now.  
I heard Felix giggling.  
"I see. Let me help you."  
"Sas no funniii!" I was so annoyed, my tongue didn't do what it should.  
"Me can no seeee!"  
He picked me up.  
"Weeeeeee!" I couldn't even think properly.  
"Izzzaaaaaaa! Heeyyyyoooo! Havvu bugget?" everything just came out my mouth, I didn't want to speak like that but I couldn't do anything to stop it.  
"Alcohol?"  
"Also in it, yes." Felix answered.  
"That explains a lot. Here Flo."  
"Sash nop fun... I fee sigg! Itssh frushating. No seesor shpeeeek!" I slurred before I threw up.  
"I know how serious that is but, Flo you're hilarious." Felix giggled lightly while he was stroking my back and kept my hair from getting in the way.  
"Ssss..."  
"Florence?"  
"Ssttthh... Aaa gaawsh! Thank you!"  
At least two words!  
"Someone ssss coming." I didn't move.  
"Quick!" Felix picked me up and went back into my cell.

"She is a bit sickly. I will take care of her."   
"Okay." Leonard went past my cell.  
"We could easily escape now... Why don't we?"  
"Florence you can't walk... Wait, you spoke properly again? Thank god!" he bent down for a kiss but I stopped him.  
"The poison could be still on my lips or so... Better not."  
"True. I will get you real water."  
"You're treating me way too nice. I'm in prison!"   
"But your lover is there to take care of you." he smiled.  
I blew a kiss at him.

We ended up lying on the ground, cuddled up.  
I was feeling better now but sometimes I said out loud what came to my head.  
"I want to kiss you." Felix whispered.  
"I think now we can." I opened my eyes and looked into his.  
He pulled me closer and our lips met and moved perfectly together.  
But then I had one of my honest thought moments again, I couldn't stop the words from flowing.  
"I want in bed with you."  
I immediately turned away, embarrassed but Felix just laughed and continued kissing me.  
"I'd like to do it too but now is not a good moment."  
"I know... I'm sorry... I'm not doing that on purpose, I just can't stop myself from saying embarrassing things. But I still love you, you know?" I grinned.  
"I do." He put his arms around my waist and pulled me as close as possible.  
"I knew you do." I cupped his face to place a gentle kiss on his lips.  
"You do?"  
"Yes." I giggled.  
"Prison should be darker... That's too nice. I should be treated like a sinner but, what are we doing?"  
"We are in love." Felix played with a strand of my red hair.  
"Obviously." I laughed.  
"But we can't do this throughout the whole night, they would notice." I came closer for another kiss.  
"Okay I go." Felix turned away.  
"But... But I want my kiss..." I tried to look like a sulking child but I couldn't stop giggling.  
"So you want it? Come and get it." he grinned as I jumped up, into his arms.  
"That was too easy." I mocked, softly pecking his lips.  
"You want to play?"  
"You can say it like that, yes." I giggled.  
"But first you will get a real kiss." he put his arms around me.  
"I was hoping for that."  
I caught his soft lips, he let me.  
"You always taste so sweet."  
"Mmmh... Shut up and kiss me." I sighed.  
So we did, we kissed, for ages, we could stay like this forever, arms around each other, lips moving together.  
"You are shining, your skin is shining. Beauty."  
"I'm a witch." I stopped the kiss for a second.  
"Florence?"  
"Yeah?"  
"I think I need to go now. It's dark, they are probably wondering where I am."  
"Please! Just another minute." I mumbled between kisses.  
"Okay."   
I felt his arms around me, his hands on my back, his lips on mine.  
Our eyes were closed and we both enjoyed the last minute of our kiss, before we pulled away.  
"Will you come tomorrow?"   
"Sure I will... And... tomorrow we are invited."  
"Invited? Who?" I was a bit confused.  
"Lindsey invited us to a dinner dance. We will have a room just for us." he smiled at me.  
"Oh my god! What?! That is... Wow!" I jumped into his arms and kissed him one last time before he said good night and left my cell.  
"You need to sleep now, we are going on a quite long journey." he said before he left.  
I still smiled.  
"I love you Felix, I love you." I whispered with a huge smile on my face before I fell asleep.

I had a quite weird dream.  
Actually it was beautiful but still strange.  
I was wearing a wedding dress, Isa was standing next to me.  
"You two are beautiful." Isa said to me.  
"Two?"   
"You and your baby." she answered.  
I looked down and she was right, my stomach was round and I also felt little movements under my skin.  
"Oh." I placed one hand on my pregnant belly.  
"Florence is something wrong?"  
"No, I'm fine."  
"You should be."   
"Dad!" I was about to start crying.  
"Don't cry Flossie, it's your day... Are you...?"  
"Yes."   
"It's his?"  
"Of course it is!" I shrieked, placing both hands on my belly protectively.  
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to yell at you."  
He rubbed my belly.  
"I can't wait to see your little one."  
"If she doesn't wake up then kick her until she wakes up!" that was Leonard's voice!  
The dream started fading.

"Florence. Hey wake up." Felix whispered into my ear.  
"Not without a morning kiss." I smiled.  
"Not that greedy." he grinned but softly kissed my cheek.  
"We're like children, you know?"  
"Florence!" he laughed.  
"So you know?"  
"I do.... I'd never kick you until you're awake."  
"That's good. I prefer kisses as you know." I giggled again.  
"Get up now."  
"That wasn't a real kiss." I sulked.  
"It's still affecting you, isn't it?"  
"...maybe?" I jumped into his arms like I did yesterday night.  
"I get one now?"  
"You cute, little, greedy child." he laughed.  
"Come here."  
"I'm already in your arms."  
He put his arms around my waist.  
"Closer." he whispered just before our lips met.  
"Mmm... I love you... so much!"  
"Don't speak I can't taste your lips."  
I smiled, I just loved him so much.  
"We need to go. Come." he took my hand.  
"But... they can't see us like this... they wouldn't... I don't think you can't stay here if they'd see this." a tear rolled down my cheeks.  
"Tomorrow you will be free and we leave, move into a house far away..."  
"Live together... Oh fuck!"   
We acted like nothing happened between us and followed Leonard.  
Before Felix led me into the carriage, he softly squeezed my hand as no one watched.  
Before he locked the door of the carriage he whispered; everything will be fine. Trust me.  
I just nodded and carefully blew a kiss at him.  
"Just relax, it will a long time. We should be there this afternoon."  
"I miss you already now." I sobbed.  
"It will be okay." he put a finger under my chin.  
"What are you doing in there why are you taking so much time. She is a sinner." Leonard grunted.  
Felix didn't answer but left the carriage, giving me an encouraging smile.

I was just lying on the ground, what else could I do?  
I missed Felix, I missed his voice, his touches and his kisses.  
The way we kissed, it was just magical.  
We passed a river, through a forest, fields.  
Our journey seemed endless.  
But then, finally, I saw a castle, far away but I saw it!  
"Ready to die, witch?"  
"Leonard!" Felix scolded.  
"A storm is coming."   
"Witching weather, eh?"  
"Just shut up!" I shrieked together with the rolling thunder.  
"We're there in a few minutes. Florence are you okay?"  
"Yes I'm fine."  
He was right, after a few minutes we arrived and I saw her for the first time.  
Lindsey Stirling, bright red hair.  
"Hello Felix. You must be Florence. I'm Lindsey and this is my sister Brooke."  
I looked at my feet, feeling tiny and worthless next to them.  
"Leonard take care of the horses!" Lindsey ordered.  
As soon as Leonard was out of sight, Felix wrapped his arms around me tight and I cried.  
"I missed you so much." I mumbled into his sleeves.  
"I missed you too." and he finally kissed my hair.   
How did I miss that!  
"You love her." Lindsey said.  
Felix nodded.  
"What exactly happened?"  
So I told her everything, the whole story.  
"I'd never hurt anyone." I sobbed as I finished.  
"Of course you will be free! You haven't done anything. Your ex is a liar, that's all. I can't set you free today, the final verdict is tomorrow night, probably, if we aren't too tired after..."  
"I thought that was today." Felix interrupted.  
"No. It is tomorrow. You have time." Brooke smiled at us.  
"Luna! Sit! Behave."   
I looked around but I couldn't find any children but a dog, so that must be Luna.  
"I will show you where you will stay. Come along."   
"Wow she's friendly!" I whispered.  
"Indeed." 

I was surprised.  
I thought we'd stay in a stable but no, we had a huge room just for us.  
A celestial vault. Glittering.  
"Oh my..."  
"You like it?" Lindsey smiled.  
"I don't deserve that... Wow!"  
"Of course you do. You should sleep now, you have dark shadows under your eyes and you look tired. Sleep well you two."  
"Good night." I whispered.  
"Florence Leontine Mary Welch..."  
I turned around.  
"Yes?"  
"You are beautiful, always. Come here." he held his hand out and I ran towards him.  
I felt his arms around me.  
"We are on our own! We are finally on our own!" I buried my hands in his hair and kissed him quite forcefully.  
"We can do whatever we want." he gently pushed me on the bed and climbed on after me.  
"I want you." I gasped during a kiss.  
"I want you too, and I have you."  
"No I have you."  
"We have each other." he reached up over me.  
"And you have sweet lips."  
"Shut up so I can kiss you."  
I played with his hair, still kissing, I wanted to hold on to this forever.  
Maybe we could...


	8. Midnight bedroom fire

Florence's P.O.V

I thought I would wake up on the ground in a gloomy cell with straw on the ground.  
But instead, I woke next to the man I loved, in a really comfortable bed.  
I felt his arm on my hips, did we sleep like that all night?  
Probably, he was still sleeping.  
I took his hand which was resting near my stomach.  
"You're awake?" he said in this husky morning voice.  
Every girl would die for that.  
"I thought you're asleep."  
"No."   
I felt the warmth of his body as he pulled me closer.  
"This is so comfortable!" I turned around and planted a soft kiss on his lips.  
"I know. You look beautiful this morning."  
"Hm.."   
"You're extremely cuddly today." he giggled.  
"Because I love you and this bed is just heavenly. But yeah I know what you mean. I become a puppy when you're there."  
"Obviously."  
I playfully punched his ribs.  
His glance wandered to my lips, I knew what he wanted, and I wanted it too.  
"We are kissing so much lately." I whispered, but it was hard to understand my words while I was kissing him.  
"I like it like that."  
"Me too.... I love you Florence."  
"We can't stay in bed forever..."  
I got up and explored our room.  
So beautiful.  
I was so overwhelmed.  
"That's so nice of her! I thought I'd have to spend the whole time in a cell but no, I'm invited to a dinner dance and we got a room where we are completely on our own!" I shrieked.  
"You said that she's a good friend of yours... How did you meet?" I jumped on the bed, giving him a cheeky smile.  
"I was one of her bodyguards, she really trusted me and we are good friends." he sat down next to me.  
"But we are better friends." I pecked his lips.  
"Definitely." he went for a soft kiss but I leapt up from the bed and hid behind the curtains, giggling,  
"Catch me if you can!"  
"I can!" he laughed, running towards me but I jumped away, to the bathroom.  
But then I ran back to the bed again and let myself fall into his arms and he carried me to the balcony, where he put me down and tried to catch my lips with his but I turned away, grinning.  
"I caught you." he smiled.  
I didn't reply.  
"Florence?"   
I still didn't put a sentence together.  
"Flo? What's wrong?" he pulled me close.  
"It's all beautiful here... But I just want it to end. It is beautiful now but tomorrow is probably my final verdict. I'm scared." I ended up sobbing.  
"Florence the sun is just rising, we still have a whole day we can enjoy. And tomorrow we will leave and you will be a free woman. Trust me." he mumbled into my hair.  
"But what if not?"  
"Then we will find another way." he went for another kiss but again, there was no time, a few girls came and we quickly pulled away.  
"Miss Welch?" the girl with red hair asked.  
"Yeah? Have I done something wrong?" I shivered.  
"No! You have not... you suffered a lot... we have warm water and all... If you want." she was shyer than she looked like.  
"Can I go for a bit?" I smiled at Felix.  
"Of course you can, you need to relax..." there was something he didn't want to say out loud in front of the girls, so he told me in another way.  
I listened to his thoughts.  
"_I will miss your kisses though_"  
I just smiled.  
"See you later." I tried to say it as neutral as possible but the girls noticed that there was something.  
They didn't talk about it but it was obvious that they noticed my nervous vibe.  
We didn't walk that long, before the tallest girl took off her scarf and made it into a blindfold.  
Shit!  
I gasped.  
"It's okay, you will be surprised." they giggled.  
I heard the noise of an opening door and they walked me through it into a warm room, even the tiles were warm in a comforting way.  
But when I felt what they were doing, I shivered again.  
My dress fell to the ground.  
I didn't say a word but in my mind I was swearing.  
One of them led me to a bit away and then she took off the scarf blindfold.  
I was surprised, like they said before.  
No one ever treated me so nicely, except Felix, I couldn't accept it, it felt wrong to receive something so nice without giving something back.  
"Oh my god! Wow! I can't accept it! That's too nice, I mean, it's just me." I wanted to be honest with them.  
But the elf-like redhead just answered with a soft, sshhhhh, and put her hands on my shoulders and gently pushed me forward and I slowly walked into the warm water.  
"That's so nice of you but I don't think I..."  
"Hush! You deserve it." they smiled.  
"You suffered already so much, now you need to be treated like a princess. Just get into the pool and relax, we will do the rest."  
I walked deeper into the milky water until no one could see my breasts.  
"Just lay back." the shy redhead elf said softly.  
I did so, closed my eyes and trusted them.  
But just a few seconds later I opened them again and looked around.  
There were roses on the water and bottles with blossoms and other stuff everywhere.  
"Um... Why is the water... like this? So milky."   
"It's the mare's milk, it's good for your skin. And can I ask one question too?" the elf asked.  
"Okay."  
Now all the five girls looked at me.  
"The man in your bedroom, is he your husband?" curious glances from everywhere.  
"I'm not married..."  
"There is something between you two. Felix never looked at a girl like he looks at you. He loves you." now the blonde girl spoke.  
"And I love him." I whispered, tears rolling down my cheeks.  
"Don't cry. It's all fine."   
"No it's not." I sobbed.  
"I'm an accused witch but I never hurt anyone, my final verdict will be probably tomorrow."  
"I'm a witch too, 'least they say it. I'm only a maid because of Lindsey, she didn't believe that I'm a witch and so do I."  
"You made a cake explode, Amber." the blonde giggled.  
"That wasn't my fault." she muttered.  
"Can you tell me your names? Only if you want." I paused, letting them think.  
They looked at each other and then the tall blonde nodded.  
"So you know my name already, I'm Amber." the redhead smiled.  
"My name is Isabella." the tall blonde continued.  
"My friend's name is Isabella too and she has blond hair like you, but she is tinier." I giggled.  
"This is..." she pointed at the girl with deep brown hair and green eyes.  
"Juniper."  
I raised my eyebrow.  
"Yeah that's my name. My real name is June but they started to call me Juniper and now everyone does it." she shyly hid behind her glossy curls.  
"Mary!" the other brunette, with lighter hair, jumped up and down, grinning.  
"I'm Ayla but they mostly just call me snowflake because of my hair." the youngest of them explained.  
Her hair was really fair, almost like snow and her eyes were bright blue like the sky, and big.  
Like big, blue and beautiful crystals.  
Amber giggled beside my ear.  
"Now it's your turn Miss Welch."  
"Well, okay... My full name is... Florence Leontine Mary Welch."  
"That's beautiful." Juniper squealed.  
"How old are you?" I asked.  
"I'm fourteen, Juni is sixteen, Mary and Isa are fifteen and Ayla is twelve."   
"Twelve?! Where are your parents?"   
"Dead or in prison." Mary quickly answered.  
"What happened to you?" Ayla started playing with my red hair.  
"They think that I'm a witch, which is true, but I'd never use my powers for evil. My family is probably still in Bury St. Edmunds but I'm sure my little sister Grace will come... I hope." my voice broke again.  
"Don't cry, you will be fine." little Ayla kissed my hair.  
She was just adorable!  
"I wish you were my mum." she suddenly said, looking into my eyes.  
"Ayla!" Amber whispered.  
"I'm sorry Florence." she looked away shyly.  
"No it's okay. I'm sure you miss your mum... If we can... You can come with us... but I don't know if we can arrange that. Lindsey would loose five wonderful maids." I stuttered.  
"Just see what happens..." I felt that Ayla and Juniper were washing my hair.  
"The prison of Bury St. Edmunds must be horrible, your hair is dirty and there's also a bit of blood in it. What happened to you?" Juniper's voice was so soft.  
I shivered but then I told them the whole story, how I , didn't, broke James' arms as he hit me, about the abandoned baby in the stall and the mare I named Delilah. That I almost killed Felix and me because my soul visited him, which caused an energy exchange but as, sort of, a ghost I couldn't use the human breath and Felix couldn't use my witch energy and we were choking on our own breaths.  
My dreams and nightmares and that Stevie got arrested too and Leonard stabbed me. I temporarily died but as a Child of the moon I can't die, so I came back to life and that, probably Leonard, poisoned me yesterday.  
They were fascinated.  
"Can you show us your magic? Please!" Ayla begged with pleading puppy eyes.  
"Oh well, who can resist your crystal eyes? I will try." I giggled.  
A light wind blew through their hair and caused soft waves in the water which changed the direction and the waves stroked their feet.  
"Wow!" Mary laughed.  
I was surprised myself.  
I let the blossoms from the water dance around Juniper's head.  
Her laugh made me smile.  
"Florence? You have to go under for a bit." Amber played with my hair again.  
I took a deep breath and sank deeper into the water and let them do their work.  
They were so careful, so pure, especially Ayla.  
I, sort of, jumped up and gasped for air.  
"Your hair is beautiful." Ayla smiled.  
"Thank you." I still gasped lightly.  
Someone knocked at the door.  
"Florence? Are you there? Can I come in?"  
"Felix! Um... Yeah wait!" I sank deeper into the water so he could see nothing I didn't want him to see, yet...   
"Come in." I smiled lightly.  
"Ah. Seems like you're in good hands, Miss Welch." he grinned.  
"Yes I am, Sir White." I grinned back.  
"I just wanted to say that we want to go for a ride in the forest and, you won't believe it, you can have Delilah. She's a good horse. Do you want to come with us?"  
"Of course I want! Err... I'll need a bit of time." I looked at Felix and mentally told him what I wanted to say.  
"I understand, the lady needs privacy." he grinned again before he left this gorgeous bathroom.  
The girls began to squeal and jumped around.  
"What?" I blushed.  
"You two are so cute! Get married! Today! Please! Aaaaaawwww!!!! You'll make beautiful children together!" Mary squealed again.  
"Whoa! Not that fast." I went even more red.  
"And they probably won't burn a married witch." Juniper added.  
"Come out and get dressed, your lover is waiting!" Amber splashed water in my face.  
Isabella and Mary pulled me out of the water and Amber helped me up wrapped a towel around me.  
They towel-dried my hair but I interrupted them.  
"Wait a second."  
I let the wind blow through my hair and after a few minutes it was completely dried and incredibly shiny!   
"Okay wow! What did you use when you washed my hair?"   
"This one." Mary threw a bottle at me, purple blossoms in it.  
"It's yours now." they smiled.

They brought me fresh underwear and a really nice dress.  
"Wow!" I was still thrilled.  
I could never even dream of setting eyes on this but the girls just offered me this dress like its a normal thing.  
"I can't wear that!" I shrieked.  
"Of course you can!" Amber laughed and threw it on my head.  
Silk ghost.  
"Oh well, okay then."  
It was light green and so soft, I loved it.  
"And later, before dinner, we will help you." Ayla smiled.  
"You're so sweet, thank you." I kissed Ayla's forehead and hugged the rest of them.  
I was already out of the room when Juniper yelled "WAIT!"  
I turned around and she came running after me with shoes.  
"Oh thank you."   
"Enjoy the day. Bye Florence. Have fun."  
"Thank you so much!" I went for a hug.  
"No, thank you. You are honest, you showed us magic, you're so kind and loving... Thank you Florence." Juniper hugged me even tighter.  
"Look after yourself, okay?"  
"I will, and you please look after the girls, especially Ayla. Please."  
"I will. Now go. Your lover is waiting." she smiled at me.  
"Okay." I giggled before I ran to our room to find Felix standing on the balcony.

"I'm ready."  
"Wow who is this beautiful lady! Florence... Whoa..."  
"What?" I looked away shyly.  
"Is something wrong with my hair?"  
"No no no. You're beautiful. Like an angel. Look into the mirror, darling." he took my hand.  
"Hush! You are beautiful." he kissed my cheek.  
I was surprised.  
The last time I looked into a mirror (the a window in prison) I was pale as a ghost, thin and had dark shadows under my eyes and the shadows were still there, but not as intense as before, my skin was lightly shimmering and my hair was bright red.  
The dress looked like a waterfall.  
"Oh my god... I'm not meant to wear such a beautiful dress! I can't..."  
"You can. You look beautiful in it, you are beautiful." his lips started exploring my neck.  
I gave in.  
"Felix?"  
He stopped kissing my collar bone and looked at me.  
"Yes love?"  
"I thought we wanted to do something."  
"You don't like my kisses?"  
"Haha no. You know how much I love this. Come on you know what I mean. I got out of that heavenly bathtub just for you. And Delilah."  
"I know a great place in the forest." he grinned before he kissed me again.  
"But... The others? Isa..."  
"I'm sure they will understand."  
"Yeah I know but I also want to spend time with them just in case I won't see them again... I mean... we still have the whole night."   
He looked up and cupped my face.  
"Oh Flo... You won't die."  
"But what if... What if the will is strong enough to conduct a river and take a soul? By the riverside, lay me down so the only sound is the overflow."  
"Sssshhh... Let's saddle the horses. Darling come with me." he took my hand and I squeezed it.

 

"Hey girl."   
Her black fur was so soft, the scratches fully healed up.  
"I will help you up."  
"No no. I can do it." I pecked his lips.  
"Okay darling."  
Seconds later I sat on the horse, my friesian mare Delilah.  
She became nervous and reared.  
"Everything is okay. Don't be scared."  
I stroked her mane.  
"You ready?" I looked at Isa who struggled a bit, the height difference...  
Tiny Isa and a tall horse.  
"Oh Isa. I'll help you." Rob laughed and helped Isa on her horse.  
"Thanks Bobby."  
"Ready to go?"  
"We could just leave." I mumbled.  
"We could but they would be after us immediately, there's no escape. I'm sorry darling." Felix took my hand.  
I held the reins loose, Delilah seemed thankful.  
"Forest?"  
"Yes." he massaged my hand, made me smile.  
"Hey lovebirds! Race?" Isa giggled.  
"You think you're faster then we are?" I turned around and Isa nodded.  
"Okay... Three... Two... One... Go!"  
Delilah jumped forward and galloped beside Felix's black stallion Salvador.

We left them behind, except Rob, his fiery mare was right behind us.  
"Got ya mate!" he grinned.  
"Rob. I need to kidnap Florence for a bit. You know?"  
Rob nodded and rode back to the others but I had no idea what was going on.  
No one of us said a word until we came to a meadow with thousands of flowers.  
"Wow."  
"Florence, come down." he held his hand out and I took it.  
"You remember our list?"  
"Live together..." I mumbled.  
"Getting married..." he looked into my eyes.  
"Starting a..."  
"Florence, I've known you my whole life and loved you, when we were children, at school, when I left for two years. It didn't work out then, before I left for two years, but... We could try again. You know my feelings for you.  
So I ask you, Florence Leontine Mary Welch..." he knelt down and held my hand.  
I was speechless.  
"Will you marry me and be my gorgeous wife?"  
"Fuck!" I gasped.  
"Yes! I do! Oh my god I do!" I cried.  
I threw myself into his arms and kissed him with all my might, my heart was filled with so much love, I don't think a human being could feel so much.  
But witches can.  
I felt the coldness of the silvern ring on my finger.  
It was a beautiful ring, a silvern rose on top with it and an emerald in the middle.  
"This... I don't... I could never... emerald... Felix!" I stuttered.  
I just didn't find the right words.  
"It's okay, calm down."  
I took a deep breath.  
"I could never dream of setting eyes on this but then... You just... It's just me and you spent so much... I just... Oh my god."   
"It's okay. Undreamed dreams can come true too. Tomorrow we can leave." he took my hands.  
"I love you and I would do anything for you."  
"I would die so you could live." I whispered, squeezing his hands, afraid of what will come after this magical evening.  
"Don't be scared. I won't let it happen." he hugged me as tight as possible.  
I cried, cried a river, I should be proud of the amount of water I just created.  
"Florence, everything will be fine. Don't be scared, enjoy this day instead of worrying. Please don't cry." he wiped away the tears before he kissed me gently.  
"Okay. I will try... I love you."  
"I know you do."  
"You do?" I giggled.  
"I do, do you?"  
"Oh shut up."  
"Nah."  
"You will." I laughed before I placed my lips on his to silence him.  
I wanted to hold on to this moment forever, but we had to go.

"I think they are wondering where we are." Felix smiled at me.  
"Probably. Yes."

We explored the forest for a bit before we rode back to the castle and fed the horses.  
Delilah was much happier, testing everything; this red thing on your head looks interesting, can I eat it? That is fluffy, I have to hide my head in it.  
"Like a little child." I giggled.  
"I'd really like to have children. Later."   
Felix smiled at me.  
"What?"  
"Nothing, you're just so beautiful."  
"You say that all the ti... Whoa ouch! Delilah stop that! Eeeeh!"  
"She likes your hair." Felix laughed, at us both.  
"Yeah I noticed that. Eh. Ouch. Stop it."   
Somehow I managed to get my hair back, but now it was really wet. What a surprise.  
"Oh Florence. They did all that for you, let you take a bath, but what did you do." he sighed dramatically.  
I just giggled.  
"Only two hours left." I shivered.  
"Don't be scared. It's okay. It will be magical." he took my hands and kissed them, hoping it would calm me down.  
It worked.  
"Lady Welch of Bury St. Edmunds, you need to get ready." Amber giggled.  
I shrieked. "Already?!"   
"Yeah it will take a lot of time to chose your gown and do your hair... Someone horsey likes it, right?"  
"Oh. Yeah, Delilah thought it may be tasty, but it's not."   
At least a tiny smile worked.  
"All the work and all the time... For nothing." Juniper rolled her eyes but giggled.  
"Flossie!" Ayla came running towards me.  
"Hey little crystal snow bird!" I pulled her in for a tight hug.  
"Mum." she mumbled  
I whispered, afraid that any of the other maids would be jealous. "Yeah I wish."  
"That's why we need two hours." Mary grinned.  
"I'll be waiting for you." he cupped my face and kissed me very softly.  
"I won't hide."  
"We won't let you hide. You will be the most stunning lady in the whole country. Come." Isabella took my hand and I followed them.

"That's my second bath today. Wow." I giggled.  
"You definitely deserve it. Underwater."  
"Yeah wait." I took a deep breath.  
They did it all again, but this time they gave me a simple white dress and led me to a room with THOUSANDS of glamorous gowns.  
Lemon-yellow, fiery red, ocean blue... every colour!  
"Choose wisely."  
"I could never choose one! There are so many! And so many different colours!"  
"Whatever you choose, you will look gorgeous. We have half an hour left but take your time." Ayla hugged around my waists, she was tiny.  
"You are so nice to me. Thank you so much... I'd rather look scary than sexy." I slowly walked towards a black gown.  
"The last time someone wore that gown... a storm almost destroyed the castle. It is haunted."   
"I don't think so Juni." I smiled at them.  
"Okay. If you say so." Isabella picked up the gown and Amber led me into another room with loads of mirrors.  
"Wow. Another celestial vault."  
"You and your imagery."  
"HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE?!" I shrieked.  
"I lived here for two years." Felix giggled.  
"Nah! Get out here the lady needs privacy." Amber chuckled.  
"Okay okay. I go." he smiled at me.

"Did he see what I will wear?"   
"No, he didn't." Mary giggled from behind a mirror.  
"You were hiding it? Aww. Thank you."  
"Come on! Put it on! Please!!!" Ayla squealed while jumping up and down.  
I giggled, "I will."   
"Leave her alone Ayla, she will come when she is ready. Come." Isabella took Ayla's hand and closed the door behind them and I was alone in this mirror room.  
I put the gown on and it felt like it was coming to live around me.  
I twirled and it twirled with me, black waves of silk were floating around me.  
"Juniper? Amber? I'm ready."   
I felt a bit strange in this gown but I began to like that feeling.  
"Wow. The redhead raven lady." Juniper seemed impressed.  
I looked down at where my feet should be, blushing.  
She led me to a chair and I had to sit down, "we will do the rest." Juniper said.

They came back with a lot of black feathers and black makeup.  
"Okay ladies lets do our job." Isabella grinned.  
They combed my hair, braided it and stuck the feathers in it, like wings in my hair.  
They did my makeup, black, but three purple spots beside my eyes.  
They did everything.

"This necklace! Ah no, this one is better!"  
"What are you doing Mary?! Let me choose it!"  
"No! Isa! Please let me... I never did it."  
"You're too young Ayla, let us decide." Juniper growled.  
"Hey hey hey! Girls! Stop arguing! What about this one?"  
"Amber you genius!" the four girls hugged Amber before they ran around to find rings and a bracelet.  
"I don't deserve this. I don't deserve this." I mumbled over and over again, but they were unstoppable.

"Is that? Oh my god Florence! Is it what I think it is?" Amber stared at my ring.  
"Yes it is."   
Reading thoughts is quite useful.  
"Who, when and how?!" Mary squealed.  
"Pleeaaasseee tell us!" Ayla looked at me with pleading puppy eyes.  
"Okay okay."   
I giggled.  
"Felix, this morning... How? What do you mean?"  
"What did he say? How did he propose to you?"  
"Do you know this meadow with all the flowers?"  
They nodded.  
"There he propose to me." I smiled.  
"He knelt down and said that he always loved me, when we were at school, even when he wasn't there for two years. It didn't work out then, before he left, I was already engaged to someone else but I never loved him the way love Felix and James and I broke up... anyway. He propose to me already two years ago but it didn't work because of James, so now we could try again. And I agreed."

They jumped in each other's arms, squealing and laughing.  
"We are so happy for you, Florence!.... It's time. And you are ready. Go, he's waiting for you." Amber opened the door.  
I took a deep breath before I walked towards the door, when I pass this door I'd probably feel very exposed.  
But I had to do it and I had to do it now!  
My black shoes clicking on the cold, but copper shimmering, floor.  
"Good luck!" Juniper shouted and I turned around and blew a kiss at them.  
"Now go."

 

I saw him before he saw me, he was all black like I was.  
I took a few steps downstairs, the black gown flowing down the stairs like waves, black silk waves around me.  
Felix looked at me, he was impressed, I could tell.  
He ran upstairs, towards and took my hand to carefully help me to get downstairs.  
These shoes were.... I needed a bit time to get used to them.  
"You're beautiful." he whispered into my ear.  
"I shouldn't be here." I whispered back.  
"You should. Wow. You look like a graceful raven." Felix kissed my hand and I blushed.  
"Come with me Lady Welch."  
The doors to the ballroom opened.  
A warm golden light came from a shining crystal chandelier.  
I stopped walking and squeezed Felix's hand.  
"I can't do this."   
I started panicking.  
He pulled me close and whispered in my ear that I don't have to be afraid and that everything is going to be okay and this will be one of the best evenings of our lives... but I started crying.  
"This is so huge!" I was so frightened.  
There were so many people, people who would never want me to be here.  
"A witch is not meant to dance in a ballroom together with the rich people." a woman in a lemon-green gown whispered, hiding behind her hand but I heard it.  
"But I must admit, I'm impressed. She looks like a raven with red hair. This gown is too great to be worn by a witch."

I was feeling incredibly anxious but that was not fair.  
It felt a bit wrong to wear this, but this gown started to become more and more a part of me with every second and slowly made me feel braver than I actually was.  
I turned around, shooting them with a furious glare.  
"What did you say?!"

Shit that wasn't supposed to come out of my mouth.

"I said that that gown looks very impressive, but a witch shouldn't wear that.... It will be cursed just as your soul is." she pulled at her chocolate-brown curls, looking rather annoyed.  
"This gown won't be cursed unless I.... Look at me when I'm talking to you!" I realised that I yelled and everyone was staring at me now.  
"Florence, don't be angry. She's not worth it." Felix wrapped one arm around me. 

I sighed.  
"You're right."

"Good evening miss..."  
"Vennaway"  
"Exactly." I mumbled.

"Don't argue with them. This is our night and no one will ruin it."  
He kissed me really softly, knowing that I was still grumpy.  
"You're right again.... Oh Lindsey is coming."   
His arms draped around my waist and he held me close to his body, carefully playing with a few of my red curls.  
There she was, in a white gown, a gown like I was wearing, only the colour was different.  
She talked about a few things, welcomed everyone, except me, hoped that we are enjoying this evening so far.  
"And we have two special guests here. A good friend of mine, and one of the former guards. He is here with his girlfriend. Sadly their love might be limited. She is an accused witch, but the innocent witch. No one will hurt you today, my dear, enjoy this night. Enjoy this night together. Please come, he beside me. Felix White and Florence Welch." she smiled widely.  
Felix took my hand and I followed him, still feeling a bit anxious.  
But as soon as Lindsey saw the gown I was wearing, she seemed surprised, but not in a good way.  
Her bright blue eyes widened for a second and I was quite sure I could see a star shining in her eyes.  
As star of fear.  
"Wow. I'm impressed. You look like a raven. But the last time someone wore this gown a storm almost destroyed the castle. I was very little when that happened, the woman looked a bit like you. But you are even more graceful."  
"Thank you... Err..."  
"Just call me Lindsey. Not majesty or lady or whatever. Just Lindsey."   
"Okay. Thank you. It's all so huge and glamorous but I think I'm starting to like it. To be honest, I think this gown is haunted or something, it feels like it lives and breathes with you." I carefully twirled and the dress twirled with me, just like it happened before.  
It felt different, like this dress had a life of its own, every movement I made, it mirrored but in a way it looked magical.  
Lindsey hesitated.  
"This is the cursed gown. No one can wear it, except a witch but actually no one chooses it because they feel so uncomfortable in it. But it suits you just like the witch before you."  
"She is beautiful isn't she?" Felix smiled before kissing my cheek.

"Yes but it's too beautiful to be worn by a witch... But I'm impressed."  
That wasn't Lindsey, another women, a (fat) ginger.  
"Thank you. Oh gosh what am I going to do?!" I tried to hide in Felix's arms.  
"Dance." Lindsey grinned and pushed us towards the dance floor.

"Shall we dance? Miss Welch?" Felix pulled me close, his arms around my waist.  
"Only for you. Only for you!" I kissed him.  
Of course not for the first time but I felt those flutters I felt when we kissed for the first time.

And we danced, we danced the whole night, until my feet were black and blue... Probably.  
Felix had to carry me upstairs.  
He put me down on the bed and closed the door.  
I sat up straight.  
"Florence? Are you alright?"  
I pointed at the sky.  
"A storm is coming. I can feel it."  
Felix sat down beside me and pulled me as close as possible.  
"We will be safe." he put a finger under my chin, I looked into his blue eyes.  
The music was still playing but I could hear the thunder, still far away but it was definitely coming towards us.  
"It's fine. It is not your fault." he whispered just before our lips met.

I gave in, gave myself over.  
He buried his hands in my hair while kissing me passionately.  
"I'm sorry, I ruin your hair." he mumbled between kisses.  
"I don't care."  
And then I could breathe easier again as he untied the corset.  
I gasped but didn't stop kissing, I didn't want to, I wanted him.  
"I want you."   
I just had to say it out loud.  
"I was hoping for that." his hands draped around my waist and undid everything that was there.  
I got on my knees, leaning towards him.  
His hands wandered up to my ribcage but I stopped him before he could get any further.  
His head was now just before my chest.  
"Make me your Maria, I'm already on my knees." I moaned.  
I bent down a bit to kiss him with all the might I had.  
He gently pushed me down so I was laying on my back and he was on top of me, undoing my top as I undid his.  
"You ready?" he asked, gently kissing my neck.  
"Yes." I sighed, feeling it coming, I knew what we were going to do.  
He covered our bare bodies with the duvet before he continued kissing my collarbone.  
He even wandered down to kiss my breasts which made me moan and that made him continue.  
"Make me." I moaned loudly.  
"I was going to do that."  
"I want it now!"  
Did I just growl aloud?!  
"Greedy child." he chuckled, kissing me at the centre of my stomach and I moaned.  
"Please do it now!"  
"Be patient, Florence." he whispered before kissing me passionately.  
I kissed back, quite forcefully but I just couldn't wait any longer.  
One of his hands wandered down, between my thighs and I shrieked, excited and anxious at once.  
"Fuck you're wet."   
"What else did expect?!" I gasped.

Another thunder, louder than before, the storm was close.

"Now." he mumbled just a few seconds before we became one.  
"I think we both know how scandalous this is." my voice was way higher than before.  
"Scandalous but tolerable." he chuckled again.  
"I don't even think it tolerable... but as long as no one knows..."  
"You have to be quieter then."  
He tried his best to hide it but I could hear that he was lightly gasping, just like I did.  
The only difference was that I gasped and moaned and the same time but I have absolutely no idea how I was doing that.  
"But... the music is... loud... Oh my god!"  
"But there are people in the room next to us... Probably."   
How does he manage to speak so clearly while kissing me?!

But I couldn't do anything about it, I just moaned loudly.

"Jesus!" he gasped and I took that word from his lips, had it on my breath.  
"What is it?" I was breathing quite heavy already now.  
"You're good."  
"But... it is... my... Oh... my first time." I gasped through gritted teeth.  
I tried to be as quiet as I could, but it was hard.

I don't know how he managed to do that, but he (partly) broke the chair that was standing next to the bed, and ripped one of the pillows.

I cupped his face, and kissed him to silence him a bit, but I accidentally scratched his cheek.  
I couldn't even say that I was really sorry, all that came out of my mouth was an uncontrolled and loud moan.

"You're close, aren't you?"   
I moaned my agreement.  
"Would you like to come?"  
"Yes!"   
"Quietly?"  
"I don't think I can..."  
"Then you won't come." he stopped kissing me.  
"No I can! I can..."   
But out of my mouth came a stifled moan.

"We will give it a try." he grinned and I started running my hands through his hair.

He caught every moan with a kiss and sent it back in the air.

I noticed something, a warm glow at the corner of my eye.  
"You're coming?"  
"Not yet... but soon."

The glow got brighter with every second and then it happened.  
I growled loudly as I, accidentally, set fire to our bed.

By magic.

"GOD FUCKING FUCK ASS SHIT DAMN COCKWAFFLES!"   
"Too intense pleasure?" he chuckled.  
"Also." I growled.  
Every breath became a gasp, the bed became fire.   
But this fire was different, it did us no harm, only the bed suffered.

Thousands of butterflies flew into my stomach, flew around and as they exploded, a last, but intense, wave of pleasure washed through both of us.  
Then they let go off me, all three.

The butterflies.  
Felix.  
The fire.


End file.
